
Class 

Book 



CDJEffiiGHT DEPOSffi 



M 




cm TBICKS 




Card Tricks 



A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON 



Conjuring with Cards 



By 

Ellis Stanyon 



Illustrated by Nina G. Barlow 



Philadelphia 

The Penn Publishing; Gjmpany 

1900 



(^ 



^^f:.o 



<b\o' 



Library of Cong 

Two Copies Received 
JUL' 18 1900 

> Copyright entry 

FIRST COPY. 

2nd Copy Ddivered to 

ORDER DIVISION 



2161 



CorVRIGHT 1900 BY THE PeNN PUPLISHING COMPANY 



CONTENTS 






PAGK 

Introduction 7 

I Principles of Sleight of Hand 12 

II Sleight of Hand Tricks 29 

III Tricks Performed Without the Aid of Sleight 

OF Hand . . 59 

lY Tricks with Special Cards and Apparatus ... 85 
Y Conclusion 124 



r>9 



PREFACE 



'X' RICKS with cards are ever popular, and are 
within the reach of every one who cares to 
' J vote a httle time to the study of sleight of hand. 

Who has not watched in speechless wonderment, 
and longed to emulate the nimble-fingered professor 
IS he takes the cards in his hand and causes them to 
pass thence, invisibly, along his sleeve and finally 
alight on his white shirt front ; or as he throws a 
card some twenty feet in the air, at an angle of 45 
degrees, and causes it to return to his hand, which, 
during the flight of the card, has seized a pair of 
scissors with which the card is now severed in twain ? 

Much that is new appertaining to conjuring with 
cards has appeared of late years, which, together 
with a number of simple tricks of sufficient interest 
to keep the neophyte engrossed in the early stages of 

5 



6 preface 

his career, it will be the province of the author in 
the following pages to reveal. No pains have been 
spared in compiling this little volume to make it as 
clear and comprehensive as possible ; and the author 
trusts that his efforts may be the means of enlight- 
ening his confreres, and putting in the way of those 
who have hitherto taken no interest in legerdemain, 
the innocent recreation of magic with cards. 

ELLIS STANYON 



INTRODUCTION 

Much that is interesting might be ' told of the 
history of Playing Cards, and the various games of 
skill they provide, but it is questionable whether this 
would interest the conjuring fraternity, who, I have 
no doubt, would rather get on at once to the subject 
immediately under consideration. It may seem 
strange, but it is nevertheless true, that many really 
clever card conjurers never indulge in any game of 
skill with the cards ; and, from what has come under 
my notice, they are in many cases, ignorant of the 
laws governing the best known games. Perhaps it is 
well that this is so. 

Of all branches of sleight of hand, the nianipula- 
tion of cards is the one that deserves the most atten- 
tion. The prestidigitateur who can perform a 
number of tricks with an ordinary pack of cards will 
be a welcome guest anywhere ; and, as far as he is 
concerned, he has the satisfaction of knowing that 
the cards, and other small accessories required in the 
production of the various tricks are generally to 
hand in every household.- 

Then again, the continual practice necessary to be- 

7 



8 ITntroDuctlon 

come a neat manipulator of cards will be found to 
stand the student in good stead when he turns his 
attention to the other branches of magic. A clever 
performer with cards very rarely finds any difficulty 
with coins, balls, and other small objects ; and, as 
far as I have been able to learn, is a neat manipulator 
of apparatus. 

Proficiency in the various sleight of hand move- 
ments ^^ill be best obtained by practicing in front of a 
large mirror. By standing, say, four yards away from 
the glass, the reflection, as it appears to the operator, 
vnll be eight yards away from his body, which is 
sufficient to give an excellent idea of the best move- 
ment to make, and what angles to avoid. After 
practicing in this way a number of times, the mirror 
may be dispensed with, as the hands Avill be found to 
effect the desired positions, as it were, automatically. 
This being the case, the performer is now in a posi- 
tion to devote his whole attention to the dramatic 
element, by far the most important feature of a con- 
juring trick. 

The mere mechanical working of a trick, save in 
very few instances, utterly fails to produce any 
illusion. It is a matter of common knowledge among 
magicians that the art of conjuring depends, not half 
so much in doing marvelous things, as in persuading 
the spectators that marvelous things are done. What 



ITntroDuctlon 9 

is really done is often very simple indeed. Evidence 
of this lies in the fact that a child will, not infre- 
quently, arrive at the correct solution of a trick 
sooner than an adult. The simplicity of the child 
suggests a pin, or a piece of thread, and in the 
majority of cases he is right ; while the adult will 
rack his brain in his endeavor to think out some 
abstruse problem in mechanics, and by the time he 
thinks he has found it he is compelled to give it up 
as a bad job. 

I am acquainted with many competent performers 
who absolutely dread having to give an hour's 
entertainment to children, and many will refuse 
rather than accept it. The reason, from what has 
been said, is pretty clear. The simplicity of the 
arrangements, however, should not tend to discredit 
the genuineness of the effect produced. Many little 
ruses will suggest themselves, in the course of the 
performance, for catching the unwary spectator, be 
he young or old, and if successful, the effect is much 
enhanced. This is what may be considered the in- 
teresting side of magic from the point of view of the 
performer, and it forms a sure test of his ability. 

j\Iuch of the success of an entertainment depends 
on the observance of a few old-time rules. The first 
and foremost of these is, never acquaint the spec- 
tators with the nature of the trick you are about to 



10 "ffntroDuction 

perform, or they, anticipating your movements, will 
in all probability discover your secret. 

Secondly, never perform the same trick twice 
during the same evening. This follows as a natural 
consequence of the first rule. 

Thirdly, endeavor as far as possible to have more 
ways than one of presenting your best tricks. Thus 
prepared, should you be called upon for an encore, 
there will be no need for you to sin against the 
second injunction. 

Fourthly, vary your tricks as much as possible. 
A sleight of hand feat should be followed by a 
mechanical problem, or one in which chemistry, or 
any other science, plays an important part. This 
arrangement will enable you, where practical, to lead 
your audience to believe that a sleight of hand trick 
is the outcome of mechanical ingenuity ; or to divert 
their attention in any direction, no matter where, so 
long as it is sufficiently remote from the true one. 
Thus, In' leading their thoughts into other channels, 
they are prevented from too closely following your 
movements. 

Lastly, the tyro should thoroughly make up his 
mind to study sleight of hand, which is absolutely 
necessary to produce an}i:hing like a brilliant effect 
^ith cards. ^lany of the simple tricks may b.e made 
doubly interesting, and possibly raised to the dignity 



ITntroDuction II 

of stage marvels, by the introduction of one or other 
of the sleights hereafter described; in fact, by skilful 
combination of the various passes, new tricks may be 
formed at pleasure. Any trouble taken in the acqui- 
sition of dexterity with the cards will be amply re-i)aid 
by the enthusiastic admiration it calls forth. 

The aspirant should not be discouraged by imagin- 
ing that the necessary practice is a formidable under- 
taking. Half an hour's study daily will work 
wonders in the course of six months, during which 
time the interest is maintained by working the simple 
tricks, the repertoire being increased as greater skill 
is acquired. 

It is one thing, of course, to tell how a trick is 
done, and another to do it; and if the student can 
obtain one or two lessons from an expert he is 
strongly recommended to do so, as this will tend 
greatly to facilitate the early stages of his progress. 
This, however, is not absolutely. necessar3\ If the 
novice will carefully follow the instructions given, 
alw^ays pack of cards in hand, he will find nothing 
but what may be accomplished, if he will only de- 
vote the necessary time to the object in view. 



CARD TRICKS 



- CHAPTER I 

PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT OF HAND 

The Pass (Sauter la Coupe). — This forms the 
backbone of card conjuring, and nine-tenths of the 
most brilHant ilkisions would be impossible without 
it. The idea, for conjuring purposes, consists in 
reversing the upper and lower halves of the pack, 
so that after the operation, that portion of the cards 
which was formerly at the top is now at the bottom. 
The value of this sleight will be appreciated when it 
is seen that a chosen card having been returned to 
the centre of the pack may be secretly brought to the 
top or bottom, or caused to occupy any position at 
the desire of the performer. 

The ' ' Pass ' ' is used, less innocently, by card- 
sharpers, to neutralize the effect of the ' ' cut, ' ' hence 
its French title "Sauter la Coupe." 

Method of Making the Pass. — Place the pack in 
the left hand, inserting the little finger above that 
portion of the cards which it is desired to bring to 
the top. The upper half is now held firmly between 
the little finger and the remaining three fingers, by 
12 



IPrfncipIes of Sleigbt of 1ban& 



13 



the aid of which it may be Hftecl from the rest of the 
pack (see Fig. 1). Now bring the right hand over 
the cards, grasping the lower half between the thumb 
and the second and third fingers ; and at the same 
time press the inner edge of the 
cards well into the fork of the 
thumb (see Fig. 2). 

Under cover of the right hand, 
the top half is now lifted slightly, 
as described, at the same time the 
outer edge of the lower half is 
raised, until the two portions just 
clear each other, when by closing 
the left hand, the pass is made. 

The instructions may appear 
somewhat intricate on paper, but 
if the student will follow them, 
pack of cards in hand, he will find 
no difficulty that close attention will not speedly re- 
move. It will be well, when first attempting the 
sleight, to stand with the back of the right hand 
toward the spectators, in which position the pass, 
neatly performed, will be quite imperceptible. 

To Force a Card. — At the commencement of 
many card tricks the pack is spread out in front of a 
spectator, with a request that he will select a card. 
In many cases he is allowed to choose freely, but it 




Fig. 1.— Making the Pass 

(First Stage) 



14 



CarD ^rlcfts 



often happens that it is necessary, for the success of 
the experiment, that he take a particular card. This 
is effected by what is known as "forcing" such a 
card upon him. 

The card to be forced is generally placed in readi- 
ness on the table, and is added to the top or bottom 
of the pack by laying the cards on the table for a 

moment at the 
conclusion of 
the preceding 
trick. As it is 
hardly likely 
that a person 
will select 
either the top 
or bottom 
card, it must 
be brought to 
the middle by 
means of the ' 'pass, ' ' in which position it is guarded 
by the little finger of the left hand. 

AVhen about to force the card, the pack is spread 
out fan- wise in front of the spectator who is invited 
to choose, and the cards passed on one by one as if to 
facilitate his choice. As the hand is advanced to draw, 
the card is pushed temptingly forward; and in ninety- 
nine cases out of a hundred it will be the one chosen. 




Fig. 2.— Making the Pass (Second Stage) 



Ipdnciples ot Sleigbt of IbanD 15 

There is no occasion to hurry, coolness is every- 
thing in this sleight. Should you pass the card be- 
fore the extended fingers have had time to seize it, 
you quickly close the "fan," and carelessly remark, 
"Certainly, with pleasure ; any card you please," 
saying which, you open the cards a second time. 
Should the worst come to the worst, and you fail to 
dispose of the right card, there is no occasion what- 
ever to become confused; you have merely to perform 
an extra trick, in which a forced card is not required, 
and try again. 

To encourage the novice, I may say that, for the 
sake of experiment, I have often accomplished this 
sleight after having told a person that I intended to 
make him take a certain card. A card may often be 
forced with one hand, or when the pack is spread out 
on the table, provided that it be slightly more ex- 
posed than the rest. It is curious how much effect 
such a trifle as this has in determining the choice of 
the spectator. 

The Changfe. — A card freely shown in the hand 
of the performer is, a moment later, found to be a 
totally different one. This is effected by what is 
known as the "Change." 

First Method. — The card to be changed is held 
between the thumb and forefinger of the right 
hand; while the card for which it is to be changed 



16 



CacD ^dcfts 



is on the top of the pack held m the left hand (see 
Fig. 3). 

In making the change it will be readily understood 
that the hands must be brought together if only for 
an instant; this is so, but the sleight, as will be seen, 
is so subtle that it escapes notice. Prior to making 
this movement, the thumb of the left hand pushes 





Fig. 3.— Making the Change 



the top card forward slightly. The card to be 
changed is now lowered on to the top of the pack, 
and at the same time the top card is seized between 
the first and second fingers of the right hand, and 
drawn rapidly away ; the thumb of the left hand re- 
tains the present top card, and the change is made. 

Second Method. — Occasionally, it will be found 
more convenient to have the card left at the bottom 



Iprinclples ot Sleigbt of IbanD 17 

of the pack instead of at the top. This is accom- 
pHshed by holding the card to be changed with the 
first and second fingers, instead of the thumb and 
forefinger, as in the method ah-eady described; in 
other respects the movement is practically the same. 

The bringing of the hands together in the act of 
making the change is entirely lost in a rapid half 
turn to the left; but the movement may be rendered 
even more deceptive by what is really an optical 
illusion, making it appear that the hands have never 
even approached each other. The illusion is pro- 
duced by holding the left hand immediately in front 
of the body, then, in the act of making the change, 
to move it a little to the left, leaving the right hand 
in the position formerly occupied by the left hand. 
The impression given is that both hands have simul- 
taneously made a movement toward the left, but 
that their relative positions have remained unaltered. 
Should the performer mistrust his ability to execute 
the sleight unobserved, he may do so with absolute 
safety under cover of the remark, "See, I do not re- 
turn th€ card to the pack for a single instant, ' ' then, 
suiting the action to the word, the change is made. 

Third Method. — A chosen card having been 

brought to the top of the pack may be made to take 

the place of a wrong card shown "in the following 

manner : The operator, holding the pack in the left 

2 



18 



CarD Zvichs 



hand, takes up wliat appears to be the top card; in 
reahty, however, he removes two cards, and showing 
the undermost one exclaims, ' ' That is your card, I 
beheve, sir? Yes ; thank you." Then, suiting the 
action to the word, he makes a quick motion as if 
returning the card to the top of the pack, but in 
doing so ic checked by a reply from the drawer to the 
following effect : "No, that is not my card; I drew 
the seven of clubs, and you have shown me the ten 

of hearts." 

It is need- 
less to say 
that, in the 
act referred 
to above, the 
undermost 
card was 
actually re- 
turned to the 
pack, thus leaving the performer master of the situa- 
tion. 

To Palm a Card^ — This consists of holding a 
card, or several cards, in the palm of the hand, in 
such a manner as not to attract the attention of the 
spectator, while at the same time the hand may be 
used with perfect freedom (see Fig. 4). The abiUty 
to do this neatly is of the utmost importance to a 




Fig. 4.— Palming a Card (First Stage) 



Ipdnciplee ot Sleigbt of IbanD 



19 



conjuror, and is by no means so difficult as. at 
first sight, it may appear. Many pe'ople, with a 
vague idea of palming as applied to coins, balls, and 
other small objects, never dream of the possibility of 
being able to conceal in the palm of the hand an article 
of such comparatively large area as a playing card. 
This, of course, is all in favor of the deception. 

In the case of a single card, the ' ' palm ' ' is gen- 
erally executed after 
the follomng man- 
ner: We will sup- 
pose a card has been 
freely chosen and 
duly noted by the 
drawer. The pack 
is then spread out, 
fanwise, to facilitate 
the return of the 
card; and when this has been done the "fan" is 
closed, the little finger being inserted between the 
two halves, on the top of the chosen card, in readi- 
ness for the "pass" (see page 12), The card is 
brought to the top and pushed, Avith the thumb half- 
way off the rest. At the same time, the right hand 
is brought over the pack, and the card gripped be- 
tween the first joints of the fingers and the fleshy 
part of the thumb (see Fig. 5). 




Fig. 5.— Palming a Card (Second Stage) 



20 CarD Zxic\\6 

In the case of several cards the procedure is some- 
what changed! We will suppose it is desired to palm 
off the four top cards prior to handing the pack to be 
shuffled. The pack is held, as usual, in the left 
hand. The right hand is brought down over the 
cards, apparently with the sole object of squaring 
them together, but really, with the thumb, to push 
forward six or seven cards about half an inch over 
the top edge of the pack. The precise number is 
immaterial so long as you secure four or more, as to 
stop to count the exact number would be fatal. This 
having been done, the right hand is removed, and 
casually shown emjDty, at the same time both sleeves 
are pulled back slightly with the object of showing 
that all is fair and above board. 

This movement having been successfully accom- 
plished the cards are palmed in the act of transferring 
the pack from the left hand to the right while pulling 
back the sleeves. The right hand very naturally 
falls on the upper extremity of the extended cards, 
and tilts them mechanically into the palm, the upper 
end of the pack forming the fulcrum. At the same 
instant the upper end of the pack is gripped between 
the fingers and thumb of the right hand, and forth- 
with handed to be shuffled (see Fig. 4). In this 
case, however, the faces of the cards are uppermost. 

Should you require to use the hand containing the 



IPdncipIes of Slefflbt of IbanD 21 

palmed cards, do not hesitate, if need be, to bend the 
cards until their opposite ends all but meeet ; any 
temporary ' ' curl ' ' may be afterwards cured by means 
of the "ruffle" (see page 25). The palmed cards 
are returned to the pack, either when taking it from 
the spectator, or in the act of transferring it from one 
hand to the other. 

The False Shuffle, — The method of palming off 
the top card prior to handing the pack to be shuffled 
is, at times, likely to become monotonous to the 
performer ; and is not unlikely, if too often repeated, 
to lead to detection on the part of the audience. 
Anything likely to cause the interest to waver, or 
that tends in any way to sin against one of the 
cardinal precepts of magic, is to be avoided. 

Again, it is not always desirable to place the pack 
in the hands of a spectator, especially when it is 
necessary to keep a number of cards in view, or, as 
is often the case, the whole of the pack in a pre- 
arranged order. This double desideratum is secured 
by employing what is known as the ' ' False Shuffle. ' ' 

First Method. — A selected card, duly noted, is 
received back in the pack in the orthodox manner ; 
the " pass " is made, leaving the card at the bottom. 
A shuffle frequently used by card players is now 
employed in which the pack is held in the right 
hand, fingers on the outer and thumb on the inner 



22 CarD Zxic\\6 

end, the back of the cards facing the left hand. The 
cards are now passed, a few at a time, from the top 
of the pack into the left hand, the operation being 
assisted with the left thumb. At the conclusioji of 
the shuffle, the last card, i, e.,the chosen one, falls 
on the top of the pack, to be disposed of as may be 
required in the course of the trick. 

Second Method. — This, again, is a sTiuffle in 
ordinary use. It is equally suitable for keeping one 
or more cards undisturbed at the top of the pack. 
The shuffle is executed by dividing the pack into 
two portions, one in each hand, the cards being held 
in a vertical position, face to face, on the table, a few 
inches apart. A few cards are now let fall from each 
portion alternately, the upper ends overlapping as 
they fall. The performer has merely to take care to 
hold back the original top cards until the last, when 
they are again allowed to fall on the top of the pack, 
and the shuffle is complete. 

Third Method. — This shuffle is most suitable for 
keeping five or six cards together at the bottom of 
the pack. For the purpose of illustration ^ve will 
suppose that the required number of cards have been 
brought to the desired position by the ' ' pass " or other ^ 
means. ,^ 

The shuffle is commenced by holding the pack in f. 
the left hand and passing five or six of the top cards j 

u 



Iprlndplcs ot Slei^bt of 1ban& 



23 



into the right hand, the remainder being placed in 
Hke parcels, alternately, above and below the first 
packet. The cards which it is desired to keep in 
view are finally placed at the bottom of the pack. 

Fourth Method. — This is a very subtle arrange- 
ment' in the form of a shuffle, for keeping the whole 
of the pack in a pre-arranged order. 

In the first place, the ' ' pass ' ' is made rather low 
down in the pack, in other words, about one-fourth 




Fig. 6.— The False Shuffle 



of the cards are brought to the top, the division be- 
ing kept by means of the little finger of the left hand. 
The whole of the cards are now taken in the right 
hand, fingers at the top end, and thumb, which at 
the same time keeps the opening between the two 
portions, at the bottom end of the cards. The cards 
are now held horizontally, face downward, a few 
inches from the table, on which they are allowed to 
fall in four heaps, as indicated in Fig. 6, the under- 



24 



CarD tTricfts 



most packet falling at 1, the next in order at 2, and 
so on; finally, that portion of the cards brought to 
the top by the ' ' pass " is allowed to fall at 4. The 
operation is completed by placing, with the left 
hand, heap 1 on heap 4; with the right hand, heap 2 
on heap 1 ; and, with the left hand, heap 3 oh top of 
all, when it will be found that 
the cards occupy the same posi- 
tions as they did before the 
' ' pass ' ' was made. By a little 
ingenuity on the part of the per- 
former, this shuffle may be 
varied, and be made more com- 
plicated, ad lib. 

I have dwelt at some length 
on trick shuffles, but have found 
this necessary, inasmuch as 
many tricks depend, for the most 
part, on one or other of those 
mentioned. 
To Slip a Cafd» — This sleight, although very simple, 
is not to be despised, as it plays the leading part in 
many excellent tricks. It is performed by holding 
the pack in a horizontal position, face downwards, in 
the left hand. The right hand advances and, ap- 
parently, withdraws the undermost card; in reality, 
however, this card is drawn back slightly Avith the, 




Fig. 7.— Slipping a Card 



Ipdnclples of Slelgbt of IbanD 25 

third finger of the left hand (see Fig, 7), and that 
next above it removed. 

For a practical application of this movement, see 
page 49. 

The Ruffle* — This is really, so to speak, an orna- 
mental sleight, of which many are frequently used, 
either as proofs of dexterity, or for the more legiti- 
mate purpose of diverting the attention of the spec- 
tators from the true modus operandi of the trick. I 
shall have occasion to revert to this in the following 
pages. 

The "Ruffle" is executed by holding the pack in 
the left hand, with the thumb pressed firmly on the 
centre of the cards. The right hand grips the cards, 
with the second and third fingers at the top and the 
thumb at the bottom. The upper edges of the cards 
are bent upwards and allowed to spring from the 
fingers, one by one, causing a sharp, crackling sound, 
from which the sleight derives its name. 

To Throw a Card. — This, again, is a sleight of an 
ornamental character, but in addition to this, when 
successfully executed, forms an indubitable proof of 
the dexterity of the performer. 

A card is held by one end between the fingers and 
thumb of the right hand, with the forefinger on the 
outer corner (see Fig. 8). The card is thrown for- 
ward at an angle of 45 deg., with all the force at 



26 



CarO ^rlcfts 



command, as indicated by the arrow ; and, as it 
leaves the hand, the forefinger, with a quick pull on 
the corner, causes it to revolve rapidly on its own 
axis. When the force with which the card is thrown 
forward becomes spent, the fact that it is still revolv- 
ing rapidly causes it, so to speak, to slide back 
on the air and return to the hand of the performer. 

The prin- ■^ 

ciple will be ^^ 

better under- 
stood if notice 
be taken that 
when the card 
is thrown in a 
horizontal 
line, as i n- 
dicated by the 

second arrow, it will still make an 
effort to return, but does so at the same 
angle, i. e. , 45 deg. , and consequently falls far short 
of the mark. 

The card may also be thrown from one side of a 
theatre to the other by holding it as shown in Fig. 8, 
and causing it to revolve slightly as it leaves the 
hand. In this case, however, no pull must be given 
to the outer corner. 

An excellent ' ' vanish " for a card is provided with 




Fig. 8.— Throwing a Card 



IPdnciplee ot Slei^bt ot DanD 27 

this sleight. The pack is held in the left hand, and 
the card to be vanished in the right. The card is 
thrown into the air several times, and returns to the 
hand in the manner explained ; finally, under cover 
of making an effort to throw it a considerable dis- 
tance, the hands are brought in contact Avith each 
other, and the card left on the top of the pack. The 
right hand still continues its upward movement, the 
effect being to the spectators that the card disappears 
in the air from the tips of the performer's fingers. As 
you are careful to conceal the fact that you intend to 
vanish the card in this direction, the illusion is perfect. 

By way of variation the returning card may be 
caught between the blades of a pair of scissors, and 
if desired cut into two portions thereby. To do this 
hold the scissors under the cards in the left hand in 
such a manner that, having thrown the card, they 
may be quickly taken in the right hand. The card 
may now be caught as described. 

To Springf the Cards from One Hand to the 
Other, — This also is a sleight requiring considerable 
dexterity. The pack is held by the ends between the 
thuml3 and the two middle fingers of the right hand 
(see Fig. 9), the back of the cards bulging slightly 
toward the palm. This is important: if the cards 
are bent in the opposite direction the sleight becomes 
impossible of execution. 



28 



Cac^ XLxichs 



The left hand is brought into close contact with 
the face of the cards, which are now allowed to 
escape, one by one, in rapid succession, from the 
fingers of the right hand, when they forthwith jump 
into the out stretched palm. The forward movement 
of the cards is checked by their upper ends coming 




in contact with the extended fore- 
finger of the left hand. 
The movement should be practiced at first with the 
hands quite close together, the distance being grad- 
ually increased as more skill is acquired. A skilled 
performer will cause the cards to spring a distance of 
two feet or more; and even this distance may be 
caused to appear much greater by means of an optical 
illusion produced by moving the hands from side to 
side, their relative positions remaining the same, 
while executing the sleight. 



CHAPTER II 

SLEIGHT OF HAND TRICKS 

The proper selection of the cards for sleight of 
hand purposes is of the greatest importance. Those 
of the French pattern are to be recommended as 
being proportionately smaller, and consequently offer- 
ing greater facilities in the execution of the various 
sleights. Then, again, the cards should be of the 
proper substance to withstand the strain brought to 
bear upon them : this is essentially necessary for the 
successful presentation of many of the more fanciful 
movements. The student, however, is advised to 
thoroughly accustom himself, from the outset, to the 
use of the ordinary American pattern, round corners, 
as he will be frequently called upon to perform with 
these when no other cards are at hand. 

It is usual to prefix a series of tricks with a short 
dis^Dlay of dexterity with the cards, and, providing 
the performer has acquired the necessary skill, there 
is no better course to pursue. 

Feats suitable for this purpose are : the springing 
of the cards from one hand to the other ; expert 

29 



30 CarD tTrtcfts 

shuffles (only acquired by tuition and practice); 
throwing and vanishing the cards in the air ; catching 
a thrown card between the blades of a pair of scissors 
and severing it in twain ; the production of the palm, 
etc., etc. (see pp. 25, 26, 27, and 42). The audi- 
ence are much impressed by a really clever display 
of this kind, and at once credit the performer, and 
justly, with the ability to deceive them, no matter 
how closely they may watch; and, as a natural con- 
sequence, their vigilance receives a check. 

Having introduced the cards as above described, or 
otherwise, the student may proceed with the excel- 
lent opening trick knowai as — 

The Cards Passing: up the Sleeve. — This forms 
the most brilliant sleight of hand trick in the whole 
range of card conjuring. In effect it is as follows: 

The cards having been shuffled, the performer 
counts off twelve from the top of the pack, and, 
taking these in the left hand, he holds them at arm's 
• ength away from the body. From this position 
they are caused to pass, invisibly, along the sleeve, 
being finally produced from the vest, one by one, 
with the right hand. 

The secret depends entirely upon adroit manij)ula- 
tion and address. Having counted off the cards,/ 
the performer takes them up, and addresses the com-l 
pany in the following manner : ' ' Ladies and gentle- 



Sldabt ot IbanD TTricfts 31 

n, with these tAvelve cards I propose to show you 
e way the sleeve is actually employed in conjuring. ' ' 
., treads out the cards fan- wise, with both hands, 
^,:)arently to attract attention, but really to mark 
six. This done, he squares up the cards, leaving 
I ^ six in a position to be palmed off in the manner 
[.scribed at page 19, and shows the right hand 
apty. He now transfers the cards to the right 
md, palming the six, and taking the remainder, 
pmentarily, between the fingers and thumb of the 
,me hand, while showing the left empty. The six 
,rds, supposed to be twelve, are now taken in the 
ft hand. ) ' ' See, I will place the cards in the left 
md, and cause them to pass thence, invisibly, along 
y sleeve, and finally alight here (indicating posi- 
3n inside vest with the right hand, therf'.by intro- 
icing the palmed cards), just inside my vest." 
le right hand having been removed, and casually 
town empty, the "patter," accompanied with 

slight crackling sound from the cards^ caused 
J drawing the thumb smartly over their edges, is 
iitinued. " If you watch very closely you will be 
>le to see them go." The secreted cards are now 
moved, one by one, care being taken to expose the 
\hn of the hand prior to each production. 

ffter the first six cards have been brought to light, 
performer pretends to overhear a remark (it not 



32 CarO ^rfcfts 

infrequently happens that the remark is actually i 
made) to the following effect: ''Yes! it's all very/' 
well, but, of course, there is a duplicate set of cards*, 
used, ' ' to which he replies, ' ' I beg your pardon, j 
sir. ' ' Then, turning to the audience, ' ' A gentlemenj 
here suggests that I have concealed in my vest a| 
number of cards of the same pattern as those I hold^ 
in my hand, but I assure you he is quite wrong ; alf 
the same time, I would not stoop to deceive yoii 
by so mean an expedient. If such were the caseA 
when I have produced twelve cards I should sti^^^. 
have twelve in my hand, which would not be co?^" 
sistent with the working of the trick. In proof ^* 
this, if I have made no mistake, there are six card*^ 
on the table ; there should be six in my hand — I wijh 
count them." 

The cards are now counted, and the opportunity j 
taken, while returning them to the left hand, to paliJ^ 
off five others, leaving one only behind. The per- 
former continues : ' ' Now, please w^atch me closel/y, 
and tell me if you can detect the precise moment 
the cards leave my hand — there — did you not see t^nat 
go ? No ! Well, it's not at all surprising, for they go 
so quickly that I very rarely see them myself." ; It 
is hardly necessary to say that the five cards v 'ere 
introduced into the vest in the act of producing tht 
seventh, the remaining four being brought to 1: ^ht , 



SleiGbt ot IbanD ^ricfts 33 

one by one, accompanied by the ' ' patter ' ' as given 
above. 

It noAV only remains to dispose of the last card, 
and this is best done by taking it by opposite ends 
between the tips of the second finger and thumb of 
the right hand ; and having drawn attention to its 
suit and value, and that one only remains, to appear 
to place it in the left hand, which is forthwith closed 
slightly, and held with its back to the spectators. 
The card, however, is really palmed in the right 
hand, and produced from the vest in due course ; at 
the same time the left hand is opened and shown 
empty. 

No difficulty will be found in palming the last 
card, if held as directed above ; as the right hand 
nears the left, the bottom end of the card is caused 
to spring from the tip to the root of the thumb, the 
proper position for the ' ' palm. ' ' The slight ' ' click ' ' 
caused by the card as it leaves the tip of the thumb 
materially aids the deception. 

The Card and Cigarette* — This is a capital com- 
bination trick, and may be conveniently introduced 
at the close of that last above described. 

The performer hands the pack to be shuffled, and 

when returned, forces a card (see page 13) on some 

member of the audience. This done, he returns to 

the stage for an envelope, and leaves the cards on the 

3 



34 Cart) ITrfcfts 

table. He next shows the envelope for examination, ' 
drawing attention to the fact that it is quite empty 
and unprepared. The drawer of the card is now 
requested to tear it up into small pieces, and place ^ 
the pieces in the empty envelope ; this he does, with 
the exception of one piece, which he retains as a 
means of identifying the card at a subsequent period. 
The envelope, containing the torn card, is now 
sealed, and given into the safe keeping of another 
spectator. 

The performer next obtains a cigarette from anyone 
in the audience, and, having obtained the per- 
mission of the ladies, commences to smoke. He is 
disappointed, however, as the cigarette will not burn, 
and on breaking it open to ascertain the cause, finds, 
to his astonishment, that it contains the chosen 
card, completely restored, with the exception of one 
corner. The piece left in the hands of the drawer is 
now fitted to the card, and found to correspond in 
every way to the missing corner, thus proving, on 
the post hoc, ergo propter hoc jDrinciple, that the 
card has actually been restored. Attention is next 
drawn to the envelope, which is found to contain, in 
place of the torn card, the tobacco from the cigarette. 

The trick is thus managed : 

The front of the envelope is double^ and contains 
the tobacco from the commencementj but as the 



Slcig bt of IbanD tTricfts 35 

quantity is small and well distributed, a cursory 
examination reveals nothing out of the ordinary. 
The envelojDe is best prepared by cutting the front 
from one and pasting it, round the extreme edge, on 
the front of another, leaving one side open for the 
insertion of the tobacco. It will be found a good 
plan to prepare a dozen of these envelopes at one 
time, placing them under pressure till dry ; when 
required for use take one, and having filled in the 
tobacco, close the remaining side, and all is ready. 

You must next obtain a duplicate card of the one 
you intend to force, and having torn a small piece 
from one of its corners, roll it up — commencing at 
one end — into the form of a cigarette, completing the 
deception with a cigarette paper. When about to 
present the trick, the card to be forced, together with 
the torn corner, must be placed in readiness on the 
table under cover of the envelope ; the trick cigarette 
is to hand in the right hand trousers pocket, which 
should also contain a box of matches, for a reason 
which will presently appear. AVe will suppose that 
you have just concluded the trick of "The Cards 
Passing up the Sleeve, ' ' or any one Avhich leaves a 
number of cards strewn on the table. AVhen taking 
up the loose cards it is a ver}^ easy matter to add the 
one from under the envelope, thus bringing it, 
secretly, to the top of the pack. The "pass " is then 



36 Car^ tTrfcfts 

made, to bring the card to the middle in a position 
for the ' ' force. " Having disposed of the card in a 
satisfactory manner, you return to the table, leaving 
the pack thereon, and take up the envelope, also secur- 
ing the torn corner, which must be kept concealed in 
the fingers of the right hand. Now request the 
drawer to tear the chosen card into a number of 
small pieces, and while he is doing this, draw atten- 
tion to the fact that the envelope is quite empty, 
allowing several spectators to look inside. Some 
amusement may be caused by remarking to a stout 
gentleman, ' ' Should you possess any doubt, sir, as 
to the truth of my statement, I shall be happy to 
allow you to get inside, and take a walk round. " 

At this stage of the trick the mutilated card is 
dropped into the envelope, whereupon the j)erformer 
immediately removes one piece and hands it back to 
the drawer, with a request that he will keep it as a 
means of identification ; it will be readily understood 
that the piece removed is the corner previously 
palmed, and which corresponds to the card in the 
cigarette. 

The denouement will now be clear ; you have 
merely to close the envelope and proceed as described. 
Prior to asking for the loan of a cigarette the trick 
one is palmed, and subsequently changed for the 
borrowed one ; the borrowed one is left in the trou- 



SlelQbt of IbanD ^riclis 37 

sers pocket, under cover of removing the match- 
box. 

In conclusion, the envelope is opened from the 
front, and the tobacco revealed, care being taken not 
to expose the concealed card. 

A very ingenious arrangement for working the 
above trick, which obviates the necessity of provid- 
ing a second pack of cards in order to obtain a dupli- 
cate, is as follows: A diamond "pip" is cut from an 
old card, and thinned down until only the surface 
paper remains; this is then attached, with a little 
paste, to a seven of diamonds, in such a manner as 
to form an eight of the same suit, and the duplicate 
is complete. The prepared card would, of course, 
be the one "forced," as the mutilation obliterates all 
traces of preparation. 

To Pass a Card Through a Handkerchief. — The 
trick I am about to describe, as it appears to the 
spectators, consists of passing a playing card through 
the centre of a borrowed handkerchief. A card is 
freely chosen, and after due note has been taken of 
its suit and value, it is returned and shuffled with 
the rest of the pack, which is then wrapped in a bor- 
rowed handkerchief and held suspended by the four 
corners, as shown in Fig. 10. At this stage of the 
trick, the performer shakes the handkerchief slightly, 
and as he does so the chosen card is seen to gradually 



38 



CarD ITrlcfts 



make its appearance at the bottom; as the shaking 
continues, the card becomes more and more visible, 
and finally falls to the ground, the effect, to the on- 
lookers, being that it has 
actually penetrated the 
handkerchief. 

The means by which the 
trick is accomplished are 
as follows: 
The chosen card, having been re- 
turned to the pack, is forthwith 
brought to the top by means of the 
"pass." This done, the performer 
''palms" the card, and, with the same 
hand, hands the pack to be shuffled. 
While this is being done, he obtains the 
loan of a handkerchief (cambric) from 
some obliging spectator, and immedi- 
ately spreads it over the right hand, 
thereby concealing the palmed card. 
He next requests the person who shuf- 
fled the cards to place the pack, face 
upward on the centre of the handker- 
chief, by which means it is very natur- 
ally brought immediately over the concealed card. 

The next step is to fold the cards in the handker- 
chief. This is done as follows: 




Fig. 10.— Passing 
Card Through 
Handkerchief 



Sleiflbt of IbanD tTricfts 39 

That part of the handkerchief lying on the fore- 
arm is first brought over the face of the cards, which 
are then raised, still covered, by their hinder end, 
with the fingers and thumb of the left hand. This 
movement leaves the chosen card on the outside, at 
the rear of the handkerchief, in which position it is 
completely concealed by bringing the opposite sides 
of the handkerchief round to the back in the act of 
concluding the operation of folding up the cards. 
The pack is then screwed up tightly, and the position 
of the whole reversed (see Fig. 10). From this 
point, the trick proceeds as already described. 

When handing the cards to be shuffled, in this or 
any other trick, you may add to the amusement 
by giving them into the hands of a lady, and, all 
things considered, indulging in the following little 
pleasantry : "I always like to hand the cards to a 
lady for this purpose ; you see — ladies are generally 
understood to be much better shufflers than gentle- 
men." 

To Pass any Number of Cards aIon§f the Sleeve, 
and Produce them from the Breast Pocket. — This is 
an excellent little trick of the extempore order, and 
suitable for introduction at any time. 

The performer takes up the pack, and, spreading 
it out fan-wise, draws attention to the fact that it 
contains the full euchre ^r piquet complement of 



40 CarD Q:ncli0 

cards, viz. , thirty-two. This done, he undertakes to 
pass any number of cards from the pack, held in the 
left hand at arm's length, along the sleeve and to 
produce them from the breast pocket, previously 
examined and found empty ; the number is to be 
decided upon by the audience, but in order that the 
experiment should not become monotonous, it is 
advisable that the number chosen should not exceed, 
say, a dozen. We Avill suppose, therefore, for the 
sake of illustration, that the number decided upon 
be eight. 

The trick is thus managed : 

The object of the operator in spreading the pack 
fan- wise at the commencement of the trick is to enable 
him to secretly palm off a number of cards — the 
precise number is immaterial, so long as he secures 
more than eight — then squaring the pack together, 
and placing it in the left hand. The " palm " is 
introduced into the pocket in the act of producing 
the first card ; the following seven cards are brought 
to light in due course, and replaced on the top of 
the pack as produced, the palm of the hand being 
shown in a casual manner prior to each production. 
As each card is supposed to leave the pack, a sharp 
crackling sound, as described at page 31, should be 
caused to emanate from the cards ; this materially 
assists the illusion. 



Sleight of IbanO ^ricfts 41 

When the required number of cards have been 
removed, several will remain, and to make the trick 
complete, these must be recovered. To do this, the 
performer again spreads the pack fan-wise, then 
closing it, he appears to again place it in the left 
hand ; in reality, however, it is palmed in the right, 
and forthwith thrust into the pocket to be immedi- 
ately produced together with the odd cards, while at 
the same moment the left hand is opened and shown 
empty. 

This last movement, which is known as the 
"Vanish and Kecovery," gives the audience the 
impression that the whole of the cards leave the left 
hand and pass along the sleeve into the pocket. At 
other times, the cards may be produced from the left 
elbow or from the back of either knee ; and by 
bringing the left hand down smartly on the base of 
the skull, at the same time producing the cards 
from the nose, they will seem to have been passed 
through the head. In all cases, when "producing 
the palm," the cards should be spread out in the 
form of a fan, as this, while adding greatly to 
the effect, leads the spectators to believe that it 
is absolutely impossible to hold such a quantity 
in the hand, unobserved, even for a moment. 
The "fan" is made with a slight movement of the 
fingers and thumb, and will be acquired readily in 



42 darD C^ricfts 

practice ; it is next to impossible to explain it on 
paper. 

Card, Coin, and Candle* — The trick about to 'be 
described forms one of the prettiest combinations 
in the whole range of card conjuring. In effect it is 
as follows : 

A selected card is placed in the band of a gentle- 
man's hat. The performer then obtains the loan of 
a quarter ; also a cigarette-paper. The cigarette- 
paper is handed to a lady, with a request that she 
will write her name or a short quotation thereon, 
and having done so, tear the paper in half, retaining 
one portion while she hands the remaining one to 
the performer. The performer now wraps the quarter 
in his half of the paper, and places the packet in the 
flame of a candle ; a brilliant flash is seen, and 
paper and coin have vanished. The gentleman with 
the card is next requested to tear it in half ; he does 
so, and finds imbedded therein the borrowed coin. 

The candle, which so mysteriously caused the dis- 
appearance of the paper and coin, is now cut up into 
four pieces, from which one piece is selected by the 
audience. This portion is handed to the lady, who, 
on breaking it open, finds to her astonishment that it 
contains one-half of the cigarette-paper, which, on 
being fitted to that in her possession, completes the 
whole. 



Sleiabt. ot IbanO TTrtcfts 43 

The necessary preparations are as follows: 

In the first place, you must obtain two quarters of 
the same date, and as near alike in other respects as 
possible. Each coin must be marked in a similar 
manner, say with an "X" at the back of the head. 
A dummy package, apparently containing a quarter, 
but really empty, is made out of a piece of ' 'flash' ' 
paper, and jDlaced in readiness on the performer's 
table. 

You must now prepare a card, by carefully split- 
ting it from one end to the centre, and inserting in the 
opening thus made one of your marked quarters. 
This having been done, you close the two halves of 
the card with paste, and place it under a heavy 
weight until dry. ^\llen about to introduce the ex- 
periment, the i:>repared card is placed on the table, 
face downward, but out of sight of the audience. 
The other marked quarter is deposited in the right- 
hand trousers pocket. 

You must next take a candle, a facsimile of the 
one you intended to use in the trick, and having cut 
it into four pieces, hollow out one piece to a little 
beyond the centre. In the hollow thus made you 
insert the half of the cigarette-paper, as required in 
the course of the trick. Having placed this prepared 
piece of candle in your left-hand trousers pocket, you 
are ready to introduce the experiment. (The other 



44 CarD ^ricfta 

three pieces of this candle should be hollowed out 
and kept for future occasions. ) 

The modus operandi is as follows: 

After performing any minor trick with cards, you 
force a duplicate of the prepared card and leave it in 
the hands of the person who drew it, asking him to 
show it to several spectators. While he is doing this 
you return to your table, and lay the pack, face 
upward, on the card containing the quarter, while 
you request that careful note be made of the suit and 
value of the chosen card. 

Now take up the pack from the table, bringing the 
trick card on the top in position for the ' ' change " 
(see page 15). This done, take back the chosen card, 
and while returning with it to the stage change it for 
the top card, which forthwith place in a conspicuous 
position on your table, or, better still, ask some 
gentleman to be good enough to place it in the band 
of his hat. 

You next obtain the loan of a marked quarter from 
some member of the audience, allowing several per- 
sons near him to see the mark. This will give you 
the opportunity of palming your own quarter from 
the right-hand pocket. Now, in the act of handing 
the borrowed coin for inspection on the opposite side 
of the room, you change it for that of your own, the 
mark on which is duly noted by several spectators, 



Slelgbt of IbanD ^ricfts 45 

including the gentleman with the card. You must 
be careful that the mark on your own coin is not de- 
scribed, unless you have noticed that that on the 
borrowed quarter is exactly similar, which it prob- 
ably will be if you have marked yours with an "X." 
In this latter case, the effect will be much improved 
if the nature of the mark be generally known. 

During this time, you will have dropped the actual 
borrowed coin into your right-hand pocket, for pro- 
duction later. You must now place your own coin, 
which is supposed to be the actual borrowed one, in 
full view on the table. 

You next introduce the cigarette-paper, and pro- 
ceed as already described. Now, on pretense of j^ull- 
ing back your sleeves, you lay your half of the 
paper on the table and over the dummy flash imita- 
tion of the quarter. Having arranged your sleeves, 
you take up the piece of paper, securing the dummy 
underneath, and proceed to wrap up the supposed 
borrowed coin. The package is now, apparently, 
placed in the flame of the candle, but really it is re- 
tained in the fingers, the dummy being made to take 
its place. The brilliant disappearance then follows. 

The gentleman, at this point, is informed that he 
will find the coin in the chosen card, and while he is 
satisfying himself that it is really there, you stand at 
ease with the left hand in the trousers pocket. This 



46 CarO tTricfts 

gives you the opportunity to remove the coin from 
the piece of paper and leave it in the pocket; and, at 
the same time, to introduce the paper into the hollow 
in the piece of candle. 

The gentleman, having removed the coin from the 
card, takes it, in accordance with your instructions, 
to those spectators who examined the mark apart 
from the owner, and they are compelled to admit 
that it is that actually borrowed. You now take it 
yourself to the owner on the opposite side of the 
room, changing it' as you go for his coin, which you 
will remember was left in the right-hand pocket, and, 
of course, he must admit that it is the piece he loaned. 
Should the persons near him wish to examine the 
mark, they may now, with safety, be allowed to do so. 

Finally, you cut up the candle as explained, and 
have one piece selected ; the other three pieces you 
allow to fall from the plate while in the auditorium, 
when they are at once picked up and examined. 
The remaining piece is changed, while returning to 
the stage, for that prepared with the piece of paper. 
This is done in the act of passing the plate from the 
right hand into the left, and should require no further 
explanation. You now, with a knife, proceed to 
open the piece of candle, commencing at the sound 
end; and when you arrive at the paper, you ask the 
lady to be good enough to remove it herself. 



QlciQbt ot IbanD ilticfts 



47 



i 



I have found, by experience, that it is best to use 
the trousers pockets in the above trick, also in many 
others of a similar nature, inasmuch as all the neces- 
sary movements may be executed while standing in 
a natural position without exciting the 
least suspicion. 

The Card in the Candle. — This trick 
is to be recommended for the following 
reasons : The apparatus is very elegant 
and portable, and may always be used 
in the ordinary Avay as an ornament for 
the table, even when it is not desired to 
present the trick immediately under 
consideration. 

The necessary apparatus consists of 
an ordinary candlestick, a slender pat- 
tern in brass for preference, prepared as 
follows : 

The foot is weighted with a piece of 
lead, a cavity being left between this 
and the foot proper for the purpose of 
concealing a card (see Fig. 11). To 
the top edge of the candlestick is hinged 
an arm of iron wire, the hinge being provided with a 
strong spiral spring with a tendency to keep the arm 
in an upright position behind the candle. The other 
end of the arm is provided with a metal clip for 




Fig. 11.— The Card 
iu the Candle 



48 CarD Zldcfts 

holding a card, which, when the arm is in position^ 
will appear to be in the flame of the candle. 

To prepare for the trick, you load the arm with a 
duplicate of the card you intend to use, after which 
you pull down the arm and insert the card in the 
place provided for it in the foot of the candle- 
stick. 

You now force a card (see page 13), duplicate of 
the one in the candlestick, on some member of the 
audience, who, after taking due note of it, is requested 
to place it back in the pack and thoroughly shuffle 
the cards. At this stage of the trick, you take the 
candlestick in your hand, and ask the gentleman to 
take good aim and throw the cards at the candle. 
He does so, and immediately the chosen card appears 
in the flame. 

All you have to do is to take hold of the candle- 
stick near the foot, and, at the proper moment, 
extend the little finger slightly to release the arm, 
which forthwith flies up and brings the card into the 
desired position. The flame is, of course, extin- 
guished by the force of the shock. 

The card may be caused to appear by the pulling 
of a thread attached to a small metal button keeping 
the arm in position. In this case, the spring raising 
the arm must be more powerful. The thread should 
lead from the button, through a screw-eye at the 



5le(0bt of IbanD ^rlc!?6 49 

back of the table, to an assistant stationed at the 
wings. If this method be adopted, the candlestick 
should be made more stable by providing the foot 
with three small pin points, w^hich would be pressed 
well into the table. 

In the first method, the arm is kept in position by 
the substance of the card. For the sake of clearness, 
the sketch shows the base of the candlestick in 
section. 

A New Method of Disco vcringf a Chosen Card. — 
This is essentially a trick for expert sleight-of-hand 
performers, and w^hen presented with dash never fails 
to have the desired effect. 

In the first place, you hand the pack to be shuffled, 
after w^hich a card is freely chosen. We wall supjDOse 
the chosen card to be the knave of spades. 

After due note has been taken of the card, you 
receive it back in the pack and make the ' ' pass ' ' 
(see page 12), in such a manner as to leave it fourth 
from the bottom. The cards are now shuffled, care 
being taken not to disturb the order of the four 
bottom ones. 

You continue the trick by showing the bottom 
card, which is, we will suppose, the seven of hearts. 
You now low^er the pack and draw out this card. 
Now show the next bottom card, which is, we will 
suppose, the eight of hearts. Again lowering the 



50 CarD Zxic\{S 

pack, draw out this card and place it on the table by 
the side of the other one. 

Show the next card, which is, Ave will suppose, the 
ace of diamonds. Now, lowering the pack, slip (see 
page 24) this card back a little with the third finger 
of the hand holding the cards, and draw out the 
next one, i. e., the chosen card, la}dng it by the side 
of the other two on the table. 

The ace of diamonds is now at the bottom of the 
pack, and it is necessary that you shuffle the cards 
so as to bring it to the top. 

The three cards on the table are supposed to l3e the 
seven of hearts, the eight of hearts, and the ace of 
diamonds ; but really they are the seven and eight of 
hearts and the chosen card. 

You must now obtain the assistance of some 
member of the audience, a lady, if possible, to whom 
you put the following questions: "Which card do 
you prefer, madam, the seven or eight of hearts, or 
the — ace of diamonds?" Owing to the pause, the 
lady will be almost sure to select the last mentioned 
card — this is what you require. You have now 
merely to "ruffle" the cards (see page 25) over the 
supposed ace of diamonds, when the chosen card is 
found in its place, and the ace on the top of the pack. 

' ' But, " says the reader, ' ' suppose the lady had 
selected either of the other two cards. " Well, suppose 



Slelgbt ot IbanD ^ricfts 51 

she had — this is what would have happened. If the 
lady had selected the seven of hearts, you would have 
pushed it towards her saying, ' ' Thank you, madam. " 
Then turning to another lady you would say, ' ' And 
which card do you prefer, madam — the eight of 
hearts or the ace of diamonds?" If the eight of 
hearts is selected, you would push it towards her, 
sa}T.ng, ' ' Thank you, madam ; then I will take the 
one that remains." From this point you would pro- 
ceed as before. 

There is yet another contingency which may arise. 
Suppose the second lady had selected the ace of dia- 
monds — in this case you would say, ' ' Thank you, 
madam ; then that leaves the other lady the eight of 
hearts." This would again leave you in a position 
to finish the trick. 

There being no doubt in the minds of the spec- 
tators that the three cards on the table are indifferent 
ones, and as you appear to be so careless in your 
selection of the one for the final effect, the trick 
invariably causes much astonishment. 

To Precipitate a Number of Cards* — Once the 
student has become proficient in the art of palming 
cards he may cause no little astonishment by exhib- 
iting the trick I am about to describe. 

The performer in^^ites a gentleman to step forward 
and thoroughly examine the cards — a new pack, still 



52 CarD ^rfcfts 

enclosed in the official wrapper may be handed to 
him, with a request that he will open the same — and 
having done so, to count out thirty into an ordinary 
tea plate provided for the purpose. He is next 
requested to cut the thirty cards into two portions, 
and to place the upper half in his pocket ; and, 
having j^roceeded thus far, to count the cards remain- 
ing on the plate, ^^"e will suppose, for the sake of 
experiment, there are fourteen left ; these are now 
given into the safe kee]3ing of a spectator in the 
auditorium. 

Having arranged matters thus, the performer 
undertakes to 23ass any number of cards invisibh^ 
from one person to the other at the mere word of com- 
mand ; the experiment to be afterward verified by each 
individual counting the cards in his possession. The 
number of cards precipitated in this manner is 
decided upon by the number of points on a card 
chosen, apparently, haphazard from a second pack. 

As the effect of the trick depends entirely upon the 
extent to which you are able to satisfy the company 
as to the exact number of cards used, the gentleman 
should be asked to count slowly and deliberately. 
After the counting, the performer takes up the thirty 
cards, and, having called particular attention to the 
number about to be used, palms off four in the usual 
way. This done, he returns the remaining twenty- 



Sldgbt ot Ibant) ^rfclts 53 

six cards (the supposed thirty) to the plate, which 
is forthwith taken in the right hand for the purpose 
of conceahng the "palm." The gentleman is now 
called upon to cut the cards into two portions, and 
to place the upper portion in his pocket ; then to 
count the remaining portion, which is found to con- 
tain, we will say, fourteen cards. This being the 
case, then, instead of sixteen, as is generally sup- 
posed, the gentleman can only have twelve cards in his 
pocket — so much for the first part of the deception. 

The fourteen cards remaining on the plate are now 
handed to a second spectator, which gives the oper- 
ator the opportunity of adding, unobserved, the four 
palmed cards ; this is best done by transferring the 
plate to the left hand, and taking up the cards with 
the right. Care must be taken that the cards are not 
counted at this stage of the trick, as should this hap- 
pen, a fiasco will result ; this, however, is obviated 
by requesting the holder to place the cards in his 
pocket. 

The card selected to indicate the number to be 
passed from one person to the other is, of course, 
" forced " to correspond with the number palmed 
from the packet of thirty cards. 

The trick is now practically done; all that remains 
is for the performer to play the part of an actor to the 
best of his ability, as upon this much of the success 



54 Cac5 Zxicks 

of the trick depends. This being the case, he ad- 
dresses the audience somewhat as follows : 

'' Ladies and gentlemen, this gentleman, your rep- 
resentative, has in his possession sixteen (no apolo- 
gies; a perversion of the truth is admissible here) 
out of thirty cards counted by himself ; and has also 
been good enough to count the remaining fourteen 
cards which are nOAV in the possession of a gentleman 
amongst you. I would draw your special attention 
to the fact that the cards have, in each case, been 
counted by your representative. 

" I shall now, by the power of magic, cause a num- 
ber of cards to pass invisibly from this gentleman to 
the gentleman in the audience, in accordance with 
the number of pips on a card chosen haphazard by 
yourselves." (Here the second pack is introduced, 
and the proper card forced. ) " Now, sir, are you 
ready ? Thank you. Then when I count three, be 
good enough to raise a draught by blowing strongly 
in the direction of the gentleman with the fourteen 
cards. Now! one, two (quickly), two-and-a-half." 
The gentleman is sure to blow as the latter ejaculation 
escapes your lips, whereupon you reprimand him for 
being so careless, and thus endangering the success of 
the trick. This little by-play is sure to raise a good 
all-around laugh, which adds considerably to the 
entertainment. You continue, vigorously, " Now, 



SletQbt ot IbanD Zvicke 55 

sir ! we will try again — ^get ready — one, two, three, 
pass" — making a graceful movement with the wand 
in the direction the cards are supposed to travel. 

The experiment is now verified by each individual 
counting th^ cards in his possession, when it is found 
that, by some mysterious means, the sixteen cards 
have dwindled down to twelve ; while the packet of 
fourteen has been increased to eighteen cards. 

From what has been said, it will be seen that the 
trick depends, for the most part, on the fact that the 
packet of cards in the possession of the temporary 
assistant is never counted ; this, however, owing to 
the peculiar arrangement, utterly escapes notice ; 
were it otherwise the trick, as described, would be im- 
possible of execution. 

The Card Banner (new method).— The trick I 
am about to describe is similar to a very old one, 
under the same cognomen, in which three chosen 
cards, shuffled with the rest of the pack, and thrown 
into the air, are caught on a black velvet banner. 
The means, hoAvever, by which the result is obtained 
are, in this case, entirely different ; inasmuch as the 
properties may be handed for examination, which 
was not the case in the older method, the trick forms 
a decided novelty. 

The performer hands for examination a piece of 
black silk, corded or otherwise, so long as the one 



56 



Card Hrlcfts 



side is not distinguishable fiom the other, about 
eighteen inches square ; this he lays on the table, as 
shown in Fig. 12. In doing this, he takes care that the 
rear half comes immediately over three cards, which, 
by means of a little soap previously rubbed on their 
backs, and slight pressure, are caused to adhere 

to the silk. The cards 
ai e not observed prior 
to being covered, 
owing to the fact 
that their backs are 
of a similar pattern 
^ - to the cloth on the 

talile. 
Thiee cards, fac similes 
(.f those on the table, are 
now forced on unsuspect- 
ing members of the audience; 
and, this done, a fourth spec- 
tator is commissioned to collect 

Fig. 12.— The Card Banner ,-, ,, ^ i , ,i it 

(First Stage) the three cards, and to thoroughly 

shuffle them with the rest of the 
pack. This obliging individual is next induced to 
step upon the stage, and at the word "three" to 
throw the whole of the cards at the banner, which 
the performer holds up for that purpose, as shown 
in Fig. 13. 




Sleigbt of IbanD c:ric??5 57 

The performer announces that at the word ' ' three ' ' 
he will let fall two corners of the banner, when, if the 
gentleman will act in accordance with his instruc- 
tions, the three chosen cards will appear thereon. 
This is effected after the following manner : 
The performer takes the two front corners of the 
silk ("a" in Fig. 12) between the first and second 
fingers, and folding it in half, grips the two opposite 




Fig. 13— The Card Banner (Second Stage) 



corners between the first finger and the thumb of 
either hand, bringing it into position (see Fig. 13) 
■with the three cards on the side most remote from the 
audience. 

When announcing that he intends to let the 
banner fall open, the operator, by way of illustration, 
releases the two front corners, which, falling, give the 
impression that the silk has undergone no prepara- 



58 CarD ^ricfts 

tion. Again taking the silk into position, he ex- 
claims, ' ' Now, sir ! are yon ready ? — thank you — 
then one, two, three," whereupon the gentleman 
throws the cards, and as they come in contact with 
the banner the performer releases the two back 
corners, thereby bringing the three duplicate cards 
into view. 

The three select cards are on the floor with the 
others, but this is not at all likely to be noticed. 
Some performers, however, prefer to receive back the 
cards themselves, make the ' ' pass, ' ' and ' ' palm ' ' 
them away before handing the pack to be shuflied, 
but this I consider an unnecessary ' ' muddle ' ' which 
I have never once found it advisable to adopt ; at the 
same time, the trick thus worked is shorn consider- 
ably of its effect. Detection in the method explained 
is much less likely to occur than in the case of an in- 
different ' ' pass " or " palm. ' ' 



CHAPTER III 

TRICKS PERFORMED WITHOUT THE AID OF SLEIGHT 
OF HAND 

Under this heading I purpose making the readei 
acquainted with a number of tricks that may be per- 
formed without the aid of sleight of hand or mechani- 
cal appliance. The sole apparatus required will be a 
pack of cards and one or two small accessories always 
to hand. 

I must, however, caution the student against pro- 
ceeding too hurriedly. These simple tricks must be 
presented with neatness and self-possession ; and, in 
addition to this, to secure the maximum of effect, 
they require considerable address on the part of the 
operator. The effect will also in many cases be much 
improved by the introduction of one or other of the 
passes already explained. 

With due regard to these few remarks the tyro may 
proceed with — 

A Diamond Jubilee Trick. — The performer takes 
the ace, the eight, the nine, and the seven of diamonds, 
and exhibits them fan-wise ; drawing attention to 

59 



60 CarD XLv\c}\6 

the fact that the four cards represent the Diamond 
Jubilee Year, ^'1897." This done, the "fan" is 
closed, and placed on the top of the pack. 

The uppermost card, i. e., the ace, is removed and 
placed at the bottom, the two next following in dif- 
ferent parts of the pack, while the last, i. e. , the 
seven, is allowed to remain on the top. At this 
stage, the company are requested to "cut " the pack 
as many times as they please, after which the cards 
are dealt out on the table ; but, in spite of the 
frequent cuts, those representing "1897" are found 
all together. So much for the effect. 

The result is obtained by arranging the "fan" 
with two odd cards, preferably of the diamond suit, 
in case they are accidentally exposed, behind the eight 
of diamonds. These two cards are those which 
become lost in the pack, and which the spectators 
suppose to be the eight and nine of diamonds. The 
next card is really the eight, but it is supposed to be 
the seven, and it must be sho^^m as such before being 
finally left on the top of the pack. This is easily 
done by holding up the card, apparently in a careless 
manner, for inspection, and concealing the centre pip 
at one end with the first and second fingers. The 
company are now requested to observe that the cards 
are as far apart as they well could be ; that one is at 
the bottom, one at the top, and two in different parts 



^rfcfts witbout Sleigbt of IbanD 61 

of the pack. In reality, however, there is one at the 
bottom and three at the top, and it will be readily 
understood that the first cut brings them all together 
in the centre. From this point the cards may be cut 
any number of times, providing such number be even, 
without materially affecting the result. 

To Cause Two Cards Placed in the Centre of the 
Pack to Appear on the Top. — The success of this 
experiment depends on the fact that not one person 
out of ten is able to remember, for any length of 
time, the names of two cards ; say the seven of 
diamonds and the eight of clubs, without confusing 
their relative numbers. 

When, therefore, the performer, in the latter stage 
of the trick under notice, shows two cards, alike in 
number but with the suits reversed, this confusion 
reaches its climax, and the spectators will readily 
believe them to be those originally shown ; they will 
do so in any case rather than expose their inability 
to remember two cards. 

Advantage is taken of this in the following manner : 
The performer prepares for the trick by placing two 
cards, say the seven of clubs and the eight of dia- 
monds, secretly on the top of the pack. He next 
openly removes the seven of diamonds and the eight 
of clubs, and shows them for examination, after 
which he requests some one to place them in different 



62 



CarD ^riclks 



parts of the pack. This done, he squares up the 
pack and places it on the table, and at the same time 
commands the two cards to appear on the top. 
The two top cards are now raised and handed for 
inspection, thus proving ostensibly that the command 
has been obeyed. If the performer is able to exe- 
cute the first of the false shuffles (see page 21) with 

two cards, the effect 
of the trick will be 
heightened c o n - 
siderably. 

To Instantly 
Name a Chosen 
Card. — The per- 
former holds the 
pack as shown in 
Fig. 14, and with 
the second'' finger of 
the right hand 
draws back the top 
cards, one by one, inviting the bystanders to stop 
him at any card they please. When requested to 
stop, he removes the upper portion of the cards, 
with the one selected, ostensibly, at the bottom ; in 
reality, however, while manipulating the top cards, 
the thumb of the right hand quietly draws out the 
bottom one, which is thus brought away at the 




Fig. 14,— Naming a Chosen Card 



^rtcfts witbout SlclQbt of 1bane> 63 

bottom of the upper portion, and appears to the on- 
lookers to be that selected. 

As the performer had previously made himself 
acquainted with the bottom card, he may at once 
name it ; or the two portions may be placed together, 
due note having been taken of the card, and the pack 
handed to be shuffled. When returned, the per- 
former may at once pick out the chosen card. 

In addition to the foregoing, the trick provides a 
simple method of "forcing" a card, and may very 
well be used for that purpose until the tyro becomes 
proficient with the method described at page 13. 

Odds and Evens. — This is an excellent little trick, 
and in effect is as follows : 

The performer halves a pack of thirty-two cards, 
and has several cards chosen from each half. When 
noted, the cards are returned by the drawers them- 
selves, who thoroughly shuffle them with the rest. 
The performer then takes each half, and immediately 
picks out the chosen cards. 

The secret depends upon the separation of the odd 
cards from the even ones prior to presenting the trick, 
thus forming two portions which, while apparently 
made up of mixed cards, are readily distinguishable 
the one from the other. The ace, seven, nine, and 
knave may be considered as odd cards ; and the 
eight, ten, queen and king as the even ones. 



64 CarD tTricfts 

After the cards have been chosen, the operator has 
merely to make an exchange of the two halves, 
thereby handing the even cards to the person who 
holds the odd ones, and vice versa. The remaining 
portion of the trick follows as a matter of course. 

An older form of this trick consists of dividing the 
red cards from the black ones, but in this case the 
arrangement can scarcely escape notice. 

An Effective Method of Discoveringf a Chosen 
Card. — Hand the pack to be shuffled, and when 
returned, secretly note the bottom card. Now lay 
the cards in five or six heaps on the table, and 
request a bystander to look at the top card of either 
heap, and having done so, to replace it. This done, 
take up the heaps in such a manner that the original 
bottom card, which constitutes your " key," is brought 
immediately over the one chosen. The pack may 
now be cut any number of times with very little fear 
of separating the two cards. Should they by chance 
become separated, it will be at the point of the cut, 
which leaves them at the top and bottom of the pack 
respectively ; but even this may be obviated by 
cutting an even number of times. In other words, 
should the first cut separate the cards, the second 
must naturally bring them together again. 

To find the chosen card, then, the performer has 
simply to deal all on the table, and watch for the 



Zxic\{B witbout Sletgbt ot IbanD 65 

'' key "; when this appears, he knows the next is the 
one required, and makes a statement to this effect ; 
but before turning it up he asks for the name of the 
card, thus proving that he does not expect any sym- 
pathy on tlie part of the drawer. 

The above, however, is a very feeble way of termi- 
nating the trick. It may be worked up into a really 
startling illusion as follows : 

Under the pretence of dealing out the cards to allow 
the drawer to ascertain the position of the one chosen 
— i. e., whether near the top, bottom, or centre — the 
operator secretly makes himself acquainted with the 
card in the manner described. He now remarks, 
" Ladies and gentlemen, having devoted considerable 
time to the study of thought reading, I venture to 
give you an example of my powers by producing the 
card by such means. This gentleman informs me 
that his card is somewhere near the top of the pack. 
Xow, sir, will you be good enough to take this 
portion of the cards (gives him upper half of pack) 
in your left hand ? Thank you ! Now please allow 
me to place my right hand on the cards, and my left 
on 3^our forehead, to form an electrical circuit, which 
will convey to me, almost instantly, the name of the 
chosen card. Thank you, I have it ! Your card, sir, 
was the — (naming the card)." 

The above will give an idea of the way in which 



an unimportant trick may be so improved as to com- 
pare favorably with a brilliant sleight-of-hand feat. 

The Mag:neti2ed Cards^ — This is a very effective 
trick, and one that may be presented at close quarters 
without fear of detection. In effect it is as follows : 

The operator, having satisfied the company that 
his hands are free from preparation, places the palm 
of the left flat on the table. He next inserts a 
number of cards, one by one, between the hand and 
the table ; and continues doing this until a complete 
circle has been formed, under and all around the 
hand, of about one foot in diameter. This done, the 
hand is raised, w^hen, to the suprise of all present, the 
cards adhere to the palm, and may be moved about 
in any direction without fear of any falling. Finally, 
at the word of command, the cards fall to the ground, 
when each and every one, as well as the hand of the 
performer, may be examined. 

The secret lies in the use of a pin, or better still, a 
needle, which is passed through the thick skin at the 
root of the second finger ; the needle, when properly 
inserted, should lie in a line Avith the finger. The 
first card is placed between the point of the needle 
and the fingers ; the second between the eye and the 
palm of the hand ; the third and fourth on either 
side between the hand and those already in position, 
the remainder being fixed up, as required, in a similar 



Zvic\{3 witbout Sleigbt of IbanD 67 

manner. Finally, after the hand has been raised and 
turned over, one or two cards are added to conceal 
the means of retention, after which the whole may 
be passed right under the eyes of a spectator without 
any fear of the secret being discovered. 

To dislodge the needle, thus causing the cards to 
fall to the ground, you have merely to press lightly 
with the tips of the fingers. 

Foretelling: Thou§:ht with Cards. — This trick is 
performed by means of a piquet pack, of thirty-two 
cards, pre-arranged in a given order. Any pack of 
cards may be made to answer the purpose by remov- 
ing the twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes of each 
suit. The arrangement generally- employed is as 
follows : 



1. 


Ace of diamonds. 


14. 


Nine of diamonds. 


2. 


Seven of clubs. 


15. 


Knave of clubs. 


3. 


King of hearts. 


16. 


Ten of hearts. 


4. 


Eight of spades. 


17. 


Ace of hearts. 


5. 


Queen of diamonds. 


18. 


Seven of spades. 


6. 


Nine of clubs. 


19. 


King of diamonds. 


7. 


Knave of hearts. 


20. 


Eight of clubs. 


8. 


Ten of spades. 


21. 


Queen of hearts. 


9. 


Ace of spades. 


22. 


Nine of spades. 


10. 


Seven of diamonds. 


23. 


Knave of diamonds. 


n. 


King of clubs. 


24. 


Ten of clubs. 


12. 


Eight of hearts. 


25. 


Ace of chibs. 


13. 


Queen of spades. 


26. 


Seven of hearts. 



68 CarJ) Zvic\\6 

27. King of spades. 30. Nine of hearts. 

28. Eight of diamonds. 31. Knave of spades. 

29. Queen of clubs. 32. Ten of diamonds. 

It will be noticed that the regular order of sequence 
of the four suits is unavoidably broken at the ninth 
card, but this will cause no difficult}^ if due note be 
taken that the ace in each round is always of the 
same suit as the ten which immediately precedes it. 

Having made yourself thoroughly acquainted with 
the above formula, take four slips o'f paper, and on 
one write the names of, say, the first six cards (not 
necessarily in the same order) ; on another the follow- 
ing nine cards ; on another the next seven cards in 
order ; and on the fourth the last ten cards. This 
done, take four envelopes, of sizes that admit of be- 
ing placed one within the other, and having put one 
of the slips in each, seal all together. Thus arranged, 
the envelopes (apparently one only) are placed in a 
conspicuous position on the table. 

The prepared pack is next divided into four heaps 
to correspond with the four slips of paper. The 
heaps should be laid on a plate, with the ends 
slightly overlapping the edge, so that when covered 
with a borrowed handkerchief their outlines may be 
readily distinguished. It will be well to place the 
heap corresponding to the slip in the smallest en- 
velope, facing the spectators, as this will, in all prob- 



^rtcfts witbout Slefgbt of IbanD 69 

ability, be the one chosen. It is more effective to 
produce the sKp from the smallest of the four en- 
velopes. 

This done, you request a spectator to step forward 
and remove one of the packets from under the hand- 
kerchief, you turning your back while selection is 
made. It really does not matter what heap be 
chosen, as you are well acquainted with the cards in 
all of them, but in nine cases out of ten, the one nearest 
the spectators will be taken. You will readily dis- 
cover which heap has been removed by the sinking 
down of the handkerchief on that side of the plate. 

The envelope is now opened. If the piece of 
paper containing the names of the cards selected is in 
it, take it out (ignoring the presence of the second 
envelope), and show that it agrees ; otherwise, you 
leave it and withdraw the second envelope, which 
must be treated in like manner, and so on until you 
come to the right slip. 

You may vary the mise-en-scene by introducing 
the experiment as one in which Thought Reading 
plays a prominent part. To do this, you ask the 
gentleman to look at and remember, as far as possi- 
ble, the cards in the packet chosen, and having done 
so, to place them in his pocket. This done, you join 
left hands, and immediately write the names of the 
cards on a blackboard. 



70 Car5 ^ricfts 

To Discover a Chosen Card by Its Weig:ht»— 

Hand the pack to be shuffled, and when returned 
count off twelve cards and lay aside the rest. This 
done, have a card freely chosen from the twelve, and 
when noted, receive it back in the right hand, and 
address the audience after the following manner : 
" Ladies and gentlemen, the most peculiar thing 
about a j^ack of cards is that their weights are all 
different. This, of course, is not noticeable at first 
sight, but with a highly developed sense of touch the 
difference is readily discernible. In support of what 
I say, I will ask any one of 3^ou to thoroughly shuffle 
this card, the weight of which I have duly noted, 
with the eleven others ; and having done so to 
your satisfaction, to hand me back the cards one at 
a time. So soon as I receive the chosen card I will 
notify you of the fact by at once turning it up ; this I 
am able to do owing to the weight of the card, with 
which I am now acquainted, being cliiJerent from any 
of the others. " 

This excellent little trick is thus accomplished : 
Having received the chosen card in the right hand 
— face downward, of course — the performer, while 
talking to the spectators, presses rather heavily ^vitli 
the thumb-nail on the right-hand corner of that end 
he is holding. The result is a slight bruise on the 
face of the card, imperceptible to the casual observer, 



tTricfts witbout Slelgbt of 1ban& 71 

but quite sufficient to enable the operator to identify 
the card by touch. When receiving the cards, ap- 
parently to judge of their weight, they are placed 
alternately on the back of the right and left hand ; 
but prior to placing each card in such position the 
performer holds it, by the opposite ends between the 
forefinger and thumb of each hand, as if hesitating 
what to do ; by this means he is able to tell with 
certainty when he arrives at the marked card. Hav- 
ing found the card, it is laid on the back of the hand, 
which forthwith drops twelve inches or more, the 
performer remarking, "This is the one; the card 
selected this evening is one of the heaviest in the 
pack." 

To Name Cards in a Pack Previously Shuffled, 
without Seeing- Them* — This is tlie title of a very 
old trick, in which all the cards in a pack, duly 
shuffled, are named without seeing them. The great 
drawback, however, has always been the necessity of 
holding the pack behind the back for a few seconds 
l)efore calling out the name of each card. I will 
now explain a method of producing a result, anal- 
ogous to the old one, but brought about by entirely 
different means. 

Hand the pack to be shuffled, and when returned 
hold it by the ends, face outwards, between the 
fingers and thumb of the right hand (see Fig. 9). 



72 CarD G^rfcfts 

While held in this position, with the arm extended, 
the performer calls out the name of the front card, 
which is then removed and thrown on one side. 
This done, the next in order is named in like man- 
ner, and this is repeated as often as desired. 

The result is obtained by using cards provided with 
an index pip in the corner. While holding the cards 
in the manner described, they are bent slightly in 
the manner indicated in Fig. 9, Avhich admits of the 
performer getting sight, over the left-hand side of the 
pack, of the index on the left-hand bottom corner of 
the front card. 

A quick glance, immediatel}" after removing each 
card, will suffice to give the operator the desired 
information. 

Artificial Claifvoyance. — For the successful per- 
formance of this trick two persons are necessary, tlie 
one acting as tha exhibitor, and the other as the 
medium or clairvoyant. 

The medium having left the room, the exhibitor re- 
quests some one to cut a pack of cards in half, and to 
place one half, face upwards, under his handkerchief. 
A throw of three dice may also be made, and covered 
in like manner with a second handkerchief. Ordi- 
nary cambric handkerchiefs should be used. 

This done, the medium enters, and taking up the 
cards, still covered with the handkerchief, places the 



TTrfcfts vvitbout Sllobt ot tbanO 78 

package against his forehead in the approved clair- 
voyant manner. He next joins left hands with the 
subject, and commences to call out slowly and de- 
liberately the names of the cards. Having named 
the whole of the cards, he takes up the three dice 
juid deals with them in like manner. 

The explanation is as follows : 

When taking up the parcel, the medium does so in 
such a manner as to stretch the handken^hief well 
over the face of the top card, which is thereby, owing 
to the enlargement of the meshes of the cambric, 
rendered visible. In the act of placing the parcel to 
his forehead he, in a perfectly natural manner, 
brings it over the line of sight, and thus acquires a 
knowledge of the top card. Once this is known, it 
is a very simple matter, with the pack arranged in 
accordance with the formula given on page 67, to 
name the remaining cards. It is a good plan to 
write up the names on a blackboard as they are 
called out, and afterwards to compare the board with 
the cards in the handkerchief. 

The foregoing explanation will apply equally well 
to the three dice. 

Dominoes and various other articles will readily 
suggest themselves as suitable for the performance. 

Longf Distance Second Sight with Cards* — In this 
case, as in the above trick two performers are re- 



74 Car^ ^rlcfts 

quired, the one a lad}^ acting the part of the medium, 
and the other a gentleman that of the exhibitor. 
The lady, having been introduced, is escorted by 
members of the audience to a room in a part of the 
house farthest remote from the stage, and secured 
there under lock and key. 

When this has been done to the satisfaction of all 
present, the exhibitor requests ^a gentleman to think 
of a card in an imaginary pack, and having done so 
to make a note of it in his pocket-book, as a safe- 
guard against any mistake that might occur; also to 
write a note to the lady, asking her to tell him the 
name of the card he has mentally selected. This he 
does on any piece of paper, using whatever combi- 
nation of words he pleases, and afterward seals it in 
an envelope, which he addresses to the medium. 

The performer takes the envelope and hands it 
to a messenger, with a request that he will de- 
liver it to the lady at once, and wait for an answer ; 
he does so, and on his return the answer is found 
correct. 

Here is the solution of the mystery : 

In the first place, the performer must obtain a 
knowledge of the card. This is best done secretly, 
if possible, and the reader will now understand why 
the gentleman is requested to take a note of the card, 
as this enables the performer to take a quick glance 



tlricfts witbout Sleicjbt ot IbanD 



70 



at the writing and thus obtain the desired informa- 
tion. Opportunity will generally be found for doing 
this unobserved ; otherwise, it must be made an es- 
sential condition of the trick. 

The name of the card is indicated to the medium 
by two linger-nail marks, one on each side of the 
envelope. The marks, which need be ever so slight, 
are be^t made when taking the envelope in the right 







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S 




iO 


? 


s 


6 
7 


^'IG. 


15.- 


-Divisions Showing Value 
of Cards 




Fig. lu.— Showing sriiits 



hand and transferring it to the left in the act of 
handing it to the messenger. 

The front of the envelope is divided into twelve 
imaginary spaces (see Fig. 15), to represent the face 
value of the various cards : eleven equals knave, and 
twelve, queen. The king is indicated b}" leaving tlie 
from of the envelope quite free from any mark. 

The right-hand end of the back of the envelope is 
marked ofT, in like manner, into three spaces, as rep- 
resenting three suits out of the four (see Fig. 16). 



76 



CacD bricks 



Spades are indicated by the method adopted for the 
kings ; if, therefore, tlie card thought of be the l^ing 
of spades the envelope is left untouched. 

Figs. 17 and 18 represent, respectively, the front 
and back of an envelope marked to indicate that the 
ten of diamonds is the card thought of. 

This trick produces a really startling effect, and is 
the more valuable inasmuch as it may be presented 




Figs. 17 and 18.— Method of Indicating Card Thought of 



with equal facility either in the drawing-room or on 
the public stage. 

The Diminishmg Cards (New Method)*— I think 
I am right in stating that the trick, in some form or 
other, of the " Diminishing Cards " is a great favorite 
with the majority of conjurers. This being so, a 
description of it may be considered as somewhat 
reprehensible. I venture to think, however, that I 
may be the means of enlightening many professional 
performers, by describing a method, hitherto but 



tTrfcfts wltbout Slelgbt of IbanD 



77 



little known, and by adding a few " tips " for the 
Ijetter and more deceptive working of the trick. 

The experiment has for its effect the diminution of 

an ordinary pack of cards, by eight successive stages, 

to about the size of a postage stamp ; and, finally, to 

cause them to disappear entirely. /, 

This extraordinary result is thus obtained : 

You must first be provided with the necessary 





# r-4 








f 








# 

? - 



p 



Fig. 19.— Ordinary Size Fig. 20.— Relative Sizes of Four Packs 



cards — says the reader, and he is right ; '' that does 
not sound very magical " — four packs in all ; the 
first or largest size, which will be that in general use, 
and three smaller ones, the proportionate sizes of 
which are shown in Figs. 19 and 20. These three 
small packs, which need only contain about seven or 
eight cards, must be sewn together with strong silk 
in the centre of one end ; the middle one of the 



78 CarD Zxiche 

three small packs, however, is fitted with one loose 
card that may be withdrawn and replaced at pleas- 
ure. These three small packs are placed together, 
face upward, as shown in the accompanying figure, 
in which position they are held together by means 
of an elastic band; thus arranged, they are placed, 
small pack outward, in the left-hand trousers 
pocket. You are now ready to commence opera- 
tions. 

At the conclusion of an}^ trick in which the ordi- 
nary cards have been used, the performer hands the 
pack to ]je shuffled, and while this is being done he 
stands with the left hand in the trousers pocket, a 
perfectly natural position, and thus secures, unob- 
served, the small cards, which are forthwith palmed 
in the fingers of the left hand ; the face of the 
smallest pack should rest next the fingers. He next 
requests the individual Avho shuffled the cards to 
hand him back about half of them, and to hold up 
the other half in such a manner that every one ma}^ 
see the full size of the cards. Here a little by-play 
may be conveniently introduced. The performer in- 
forms the gentleman that he is not holding the cards 
properly, and exclaims: "My dear sir! that will 
never do ; the cards cannot be seen half-w^ay down 
the hall. Kindly hold them a little higher. Per- 
haps you would not mind standing up. Thank you, 



bricks witbout SleiQbt ot IbanD 79 

that's better. Dear me ! there's a lady at the bottom 
end of the room who cannot yet see the cards. Would 
you mind coming this way a little ? Thank you, 
that's much better. (Brings gentleman near stage.) 
Well, really, there's a little boy down in the corner 
there who cannot see you, sir, let alone the cards. 
May I therefore ask you to kindly step up on the 
stage ?" By this means, which, as . a rule, gives rise 
to much hilarity on the part of the spectators, the 
services of the gentleman are secured, not infre- 
quently against his wish ; and this done, you ask 
him to' stand on your left side, and hold the cards 
delicately, by one end, between the tips of the fin- 
gers and thumb of the right hand. 

The performer, when receiving his portion of the 
cards from the gentleman, takes them with the right 
hand, immediately transferring them to the left and 
on to the top of the packet of small ones. From 
this point the trick proceeds as follows: 

First Size. — Open the large cards, fan- wise, to 
their full extent, using both hands. 

Second Size. — Push the cards half-way down in 
the left hand, then open them slightly, when they 
will appear considerably reduced in size. Practice 
this movement in front of a mirror and you will find 
it forms a perfect illusion. 

Third Size. — In the act of closing up the second 



80 CarO ^ricfts 

size (large cards), palm them off, and push up the 
next pack. (N. B. — The performer now notices for 
the first time that his assistant is not making any 
progress, and interrogates him somewhat after the 
following style : '' My dear sir, this will never do ; 
you must make the cards grow smaller. Just give 
them to me for one moment (takes cards from 
gentleman quickly with the right hand, which, it 
will be remembered, contains the " palm ") and 
kindly stand over on my right. I ought to have 
thought of this before ; it is of course necessary that 
you should be on the right side.") Here the whole 
of the cards are handed back to the assistant, or they 
may be thrown on the table, leaving the right hand 
empty, and the trick proceeds. 

Fourth Size. — Treat the cards in exactly the 
game way as for the second size, showing the right 
hand in a casual manner after the change. 

Fifth Size. — Palm off the cards (second pack) 
and push up the next in order, which, it will be re- 
membered, contains the loose card. Having pushed 
up the loose card, the performer requests the gentle- 
man to remove one (he will be sure to take the 
"plant"), and compare the pattern with that of the 
cards he holds. While this is being done, ample 
opportunity will be found for disposing of the palmed 
cards. The loose card returned, proceed. 



XTdcfts wttbout Sleiabt of IbanD 81 

Sixth Size. — Adopt the method adopted for the 
second and fourth sizes. 

Seventh Size. — Pahn off the cards (third pack) 
and push up the smallest pack, and exclaim : "And 
now, you see, the cards are very small indeed ; so 
small, in fact, that a quarter would almost cover 
them." Saying which, you thrust the right hand 
into the trousers pocket in search of a coin with 
which, hy comparison with the cards, to verify your 
statement. Lovely, is it not? Could there possibly 
be a more deceptive movement ? 

Eighth Size. — There is really no eighth size in 
the sense of the term ; this time the cards are caused 
to vanish entirely. This is how it is done : Hav- 
ing arrived at this stage of the trick, the performer 
pretends to overhear a remark to the following effect, 
" Surely, he cannot make them much smaller!" to 
which he replies, " Smaller? Certainly, with pleas- 
ure." Then, holding the cards in the right hand, he 
appears to take them in the left. In reality, how- 
ever, they are allowed to slip back behind the fingers 
of the. right hand. The left hand now appears to 
rub the cards into the right elbow, while at the same 
time the right hand, which is naturally raised to a 
level with the head, drops the "palm" into the 
collar. The rubbing motion concluded, the magi- 
cian remarks : "And now, you see, the cards have 



82 Card bricks 

become so small that it is impossible to view them 
with the naked eye." 

Notes on the Above Trick. — First. — It is hardh^ 
necessary to inform the embryo conjurer that the 
cards used should be of the same pattern throughout, 
and that the face cards of each pack should be of 
the same suit and value. 

Second. — The palming away of the various packs 
is the less likely to be observed owing to the fact 
that it is done under cover of the "patter." Exam- 
ple: " Ladies and gentlemen, kindly allow me in the 
first place to draw your attention to the full size of 
the cards. (Spreads large cards fan-wise.) I shall 
now endeavor to produce a most extraordinary 
effect ; by simply closing up the cards, and giving 
them a little squeeze, like this (here the cards are 
palmed), they will become one size smaller. You 
will be able the better to appreciate the change l)y 
comparing this size with that the gentleman is hold- 
ing." In all cases the cards are shown fan-wise, and 
closed up and palmed, Avhere necessary, before show- 
ing the next size. 

Third. — Another excellent method of commencing 
the trick is the following: At the close of the " cards 
passing up the sleeve " arrange to vanish the three 
last cards together by palming, and at the same time 
announce that thev have traveled into the left-hand 



Ztic\{6 wttbout SlefQbt of 1band 83 

trousers pocket. Having shown the left hand empty, 
thrust it forthwith into the pocket in search of the 
cards, and not finding them, exclaim : " Well, really, 
that's funny ! I rarely make a mistake ; the cards 
seem to have strayed. Oh ! perhaps they have gone 
into the other pocket. I may have given them too 
hard a push." Saying this, thrust the right hand, 
which during the above allocation has remained rest- 
ing on the hip with the cards palmed, into the pocket 
on that side. The palmed cards are now withdrawn, 
and placed on the top of the packet of small ones ob- 
tained by the above ruse from the left-hand pocket. 
Proceed. 

Fourth. — Instead of returning the cards to the 
assistant, in the early stages of the trick, you may 
vary the procedure somewhat by throwing them on 
the table. This done, there is no necessity to pocket 
the second pack ; a better plan will be to drop it on 
the table under cover of picking up one of the large 
cards to show that the pattern agrees with that of the 
smaller cards in the liand. 

Fifth. — This is a little arrangement of ni}^ own 
for concluding the trick : The smallest packet is 
closed up and apparently placed in the left hand ; 
in reality, however, it is palmed in the right hand, 
which forthwith picks up an ordinary tea plate, on 
which is a lighted candle. In doing this the " palm " 



84 CarO n;ricft0 

is dropped into a drawer, left a little way open, at 
the rear of the table. The left hand now makes a 
slight rubbing motion over the candle, seeming to 
pass the cards into the flame. This done, the plate 
is transferred to the left hand, while at the same 
time the right hand produces a number of cards, 
full size, from underneath the plate, the inference 
being that the small cards have been restored to 
their normal condition by passing through the candle. 
This latter effect is obtained by taking up, with the 
plate, the required number of cards ; this is best 
done by placing the cards underneath the plate, 
allowing both to project slightly over the rear edge 
of the table, immediately over the partly open 
drawer. 

I have dwelt at some length on the above trick, 
but have found this advisable, inasmuch as the vari- 
ous sleights and subtleties employed will be found, 
for the most part, to apply equally well to objects 
other than cards ; they will also be found indispens- 
ably necessary in the working up of new tricks — in 
other w^ords, I have endeavored to make this an ob- 
ject lesson in sleight of hand. 



CHAPTER IV 

TRICKS AVITH SPECIAL CARDS AND APPARATUS 

Tricks of this class are very numerous, and, on 
this account, I cannot do more, in the space at my 
disposal, than notice a few of the most important 
ones, not omitting several old-time auxiliaries of 
general utility, in the shape of specially prepared 
cards. First and foremost of these trick cards is that 
known as — 

The Long Card. — This, as its name implies, is a 
card a trifle longer (or wider, as the case may be), 
say by about one-sixteenth inch, than the rest of the 
pack. The value of such an expedient will be ap- 
preciated by the novice when he knows that the 
whereabouts of the card may be readily discovered 
by the sense of touch, and that it may be secretly 
brought to the bottom by merely cutting the cards. 
The long card may be manufactured at home by cut- 
ting a narrow strip from one end of all the cards save 
one ; but greater satisfaction will be obtained by 
placing the matter in the hands of a local printer. 

Longs and Shorts, — This is an extension of the 

85 



86 Car^ ^rlcfts 

principle of the long card. In this case two packs 
are employed, the Avhole of the cards in one being cut 
down as explained above. Any card in the unpre- 
pared pack may now be inserted in the other to form 
the long card, thus enabling the operator to avoid 
the suspicion which would naturally arise from the 
performance of several tricks with the same card. 
The professional conjurer rarely ever resorts to such 
an expedient as the long card in its simplest form, as 
he is able to produce the same results by sleight of 
hand ; but " Longs and Shorts " are a valuable re- 
source in many stage tricks, and are frequently em- 
ployed. 

Tricks with the Long: Card. — A card having been 
freely chosen, the drawer is requested to return it to 
the pack ; this he does, the performer opening the 
pack for the purpose by cutting at the long card. 
The chosen card is thus brought immediately below 
the long one, and the pack ma}^ now be cut any num- 
ber of times, and even shuffled moderately, without 
fear of separating the two cards. It now only re- 
mains to reveal the chosen card, and this ma}^ be 
done in a variety of ways. For instance, the per- 
former may deal the cards on the table, and when he 
arrives at the long card may boldly announce that 
the next is the one chosen ; or he may air his knowl- 
edge by simply cutting at the chosen card, the pro- 



XLxic\{6 witb Special Car^s anO Apparatus 87 

jecting edges of the one above it enabling him to do 
this with certainty. But these are tame conclusions. 
A more subtle method is the following : 

The performer brings the card to the top by means 
of the cut, and, this done, undertakes to produce it at 
any number in the pack, ^ye will suppose eleven to 
be the number chosen. He first shows, by counting 
off eleven cards face downward on the table, that 
the chosen one is not already in position, and then 
returns the eleven cards as they lay, which move- 
ment very naturally places the card at the required 
number. He now commences to count again, but 
when five or six cards have been removed, suddenly 
exclaims, " I am really very sorry, ladies and gentle- 
men, but I am becoming quite nervous. (Shakes.) 
I am taken with these fits occasionally. (Replaces 
cards.) Will someone kindly count the cards for 
me?" 

A volunteer having come forward, the cards are 
noAV counted, with the result that the chosen one is 
found at the required number. 

The above forms a very good example of mis- 
direction, an all-important phase of deception, and 
is introduced solely with the view of rendering the 
spectators the less likely to discover the true means 
employed (see Chapter Y). 

Given the power of forcing, effective use may be 



88 CarD ^ricftg 

made of the long card as follows : Force the long 
card, and this done, offer the pack to the drawer, 
that he may return his card and thoroughly shuffle 
it with the rest. This, of course, he may do to any 
extent without in any way endangering the success 
of the trick ; hence the advantage referred to above. 

The shuffle completed, the performer takes the 
cards, and by means of the cut brings the chosen one 
to the bottom. He next places the cards face down- 
ward on a sheet of plain white paper, duly exam- 
ined, and proceeds to wrap them therein. This done, 
he holds the package thus made over the flame of a 
candle for a few seconds, taking care, however, not to 
scorch the paper. On removing the package from 
the source of heat, the name of the card is found 
written thereon in jet-black letters ; and on break- 
ing through that portion of the paper on which is 
the name, the chosen card is, of course, discovered. 

The means by which this surprising result is ob- 
tained is fully explained at page 100. 

For the benefit of those unskilled in sleight of 
hand, I may mention that, having brought the long 
card to the bottom, it may be forced on the unwary 
by the simple method given at page 62. There are, 
of course, many ways in which the card, duly forced, 
may be afterward revealed, but having said so much, 
I must now leave these to the ingenuity of the reader. 



Ztic\{6 witb Special darDs anD Apparatus 89 

Tricks with Longf and Short Packs*— One of the 

best tricks performed by the aid of " Longs and 
Shorts " is that known as — 

The Demon Cards. — In effect the trick is as fol- 
lows : The performer obtains the assistance of some 
gentleman from the audience, to whom he hands the 
cards with a request that, Laving shuffled them 
thoroughly, he will allow five or six of the spectators 
to each select one card ; this he does, and returns 
the remainder to the performer. 

On receiving the cards from his temporary assist- 
ant, the performer returns to his table, and places 
them in a glass tumbler, and then hands both 
tumbler and cards to the gentleman, asking him to 
be good enough to collect the chosen cards, allowing 
each person himself to place his card in the pack 
contained in the tumbler ; and this done, to remove 
all the cards, thoroughly shuffle, and place them in 
his pocket. 

The performer noAV, although actually unac- 
quainted with the exact number of cards drawn, 
undertakes to produce them all, no more and no 
less, one by one from the gentleman's pocket. 

What makes the trick appear the more marvelous 
is the fact that the audience are quite convinced that 
the conjurer never once touches the cards. In sup- 
port of this I would mention that I have on several 



90 CarD ^ricfts 

occasions overheard auditors in debate on the merits 
of this and tricks of a similar nature; and the one 
invariably elicits from the other the reply, " But he 
never once touched the cards " — a proof of the gulli- 
bility of the spectators and their inability to give a 
correct report of what they witnessed. 

The secret dej^ends upon the fact that, during the 
])rief transit from the front to the rear of the stage in 
quest of the tumbler, the performer changes the long 
pack, from which the cards were drawn, for the 
short one ; when, therefore, the cards are returned 
they each become a long card, and thus it will be 
seen that the wonderful production is not, after all, 
a difficult matter. 

The following wdll serve to illustrate the value of 
long and short packs for purposes of stage conjuring. 
Take the case of the trick in w^hich five chosen cards 
are caused to appear on the points of the Fairy Star 
(see Fig. 25), or any piece of apparatus suitable for 
a production of this kind. In the older forms of the 
trick this was done by attaching the cards to the 
points of the star beforehand, and forcing duplicates 
in the course of the performance. With the aid of 
" Longs and Shorts " the forcing is done away with, 
and, consequently, the trick passes off with much 
greater eclat. 

The performer allows five cards to be freely chosen 



^dcftg witb Special CarDs anD Apparatus 91 

from the long pack. Then, while returning to the 
person who first drew, in order that he may replace 
his card, he changes the long for the short pack ; 
tlie rest follows as a matter of course, each person 
returning his card and shuffling to his heart's 
content. 

The method of discovering the chosen cards being 
understood, it now only remains to explain the 
method in which they are placed in position on the 
star. In the case of forcing the cards, the star will 
1)6 placed on the stage at the commencement of the 
performance, but in the method under consideration 
it will remain in the hands of an assistant at the 
wings, to be brought on in the course of the trick. 
The chosen cards returned, the performer, as a pre- 
liminary test of his ability, undertakes to produce 
them by sleight of hand. This he does, say, by 
bringing one to the top by the " pass," palming it, 
and finally causing it to pass through a borrowed 
handkerchief (see page 37). By way of variation he 
may simply cut at the second card. The third may 
be brought to the bottom by the " pass " and re- 
vealed by the method described at page 88. In the 
fourth case he may show a wrong card, and instantly 
cause it to change to the right one (see page 17). The 
fifth card may be brought to the bottom and the pack 
placed on a person's hand, the card being ordered to 



92 



CarD ^rtcfta 



pass downward to the palm, where, on raising the 
pack, it will of course be found. 

In each case, when producing a card the performer 
takes care to name it aloud, 
ostensibly for the edification of 
the audience, but really for the 
information of the assistant at 
the wings, who, as each name 
is called out, fits, from a pack 
in his possession, a correspond- 
ing card to each point of the 
star, which he then brings 
forward and places on the 
table. 

Changing; Cards* — T here 
are many forms of changing 
cards, but these are, for the 
most part, purely mechanical 
novelties, and of little use for 
practical purposes. The only 
form of changing card, spe- 
cially constructed for the pur- 
pose, that I have found of any 
service in connection with sleight of hand is that 
illustrated in Figs. 21, 22, 23, and 24. The dummy 
fives "A" in Fig. 22, as will be seen, may be readily 
constructed from aces by simply adding pips as re- 




FiG. 21.— Changing Cards 



^ricfts witb Special CarDs and Bpparatus 93 



f f 



Fig. 22.- 
Changing 
Cards 



quired ; these, which should consist of surface paper 
only peeled from pips neatly cut from another card, 
may be attached with a little paste and 
pressure in a manner that will defy detec- 
tion unless examined at very close quarters. 
Mlth the aid of the ordinar}^ five, the cards 
in Fig. 21 may lj»e caused to appear all 
fives. Then, by substituting an ace of the 
required suit for the five, closing up the 
" fan " and opening it at the reverse end, 
the cards may be shown as in Fig. 21. 
Similarly, by using three cards constructed as " B " 
in Fig. 23, fives or threes may be shown at pleasure. 
The two cards " C " and " D " in Fig. 24 will be 

best made from an 
ace and a five re- 
spectively. The first, 
'' C," may be caused 
to represent an ace 
or a three ; and the 
second, " D," a five 
or a nine, according 
to the manner in 
which they are held, 
with the fingers cov- 
ering either the empty spaces or the additional pips. 
This class of trick card, being readily made to 




Fig. 23.— Changing Cards 



94 



CarD ^ricfts 



match the pack in general use, will, in combination 
with sleight of hand, be found productive of some 
surprising results ; the following will serve as an 
example : 

Place the trick card " D " in Fig. 24 on the top 
of the pack, on this the ordinar}^ nine, and on 
the top of all the five of the same suit. Make the 
'' pass " to bring the three cards to the middle, and 

force the five on 
one person, and 
on another 
(who should be 
seated on t h e 
opposite side of 
the room) the 
nine. This 
done, again 
make the 
" pass," to bring 
the trick card to the top. After due note has 
been taken of the drawn cards, have one of them, 
say the five, returned to the pack, then taking the 
nine, "change" it (see page 15) for the trick card, 
and lay the pack aside. Now showing the card as 
the nine, hold it up in front of the person who drew 
that card and say, " This is your card, is it not?" to 
w^hich he replies, " Yes, that is so." Turning to the 





Fig. 24.— Changing Cards 



ZvickQ wttb Special Car^s anD apparatus 95 

other person, still holding the card in the same way, 
say, " Then of course it is not your card ?" He 
naturally replies that it is not. Turning again to 
the first person, changing the card in transit by 
transferring it to the opposite hand, and blowing on 
the back of it, exclaim, " Change ! It is noAV no 
longer your card, sir, but " (turning to the opposite 
person) " this gentleman's card.". The drawer of the 
five is compelled to admit that it is now his card. 
Turning once more to the drawer of the nine, hold- 
ing the card carelessly face downward, ask him 
whose card he would like it to be. As it has just 
been proclaimed the five, he will naturally call for 
the nine, and you accordingly change it to that card. 
Finally, turning to the drawer of the five, you make 
to him a similar request, and he, knowing the card 
to be a nine, will in like manner call for the five. 
Changing the card for the last time, you sa}^ '' Quite 
right, sir, it is really your card." It could not possibly 
be the nine, for that card has all along remained at 
the bottom of the pack, where you now show it to 
be. Replacing the pack on the table, and in doing 
so again making the change, continue, " I am afraid 
this is a very volatile card ; I could not guarantee 
it to remain anybody's card for long — well, really !" 
(turning up card) " it is now a totally different one." 
The trick card, which Avas left after the change at 



96 



Card Zvic'kB 



the bottom of the pack, should be disposed of at the 

earliest opportunity. 

The Fairy Star* — This is a very old trick, but in 

spite of this it still re- 
mains one of the best 
for the stage, especiall}" 
when used in connec- 
tion with "longs and 
shorts " (see page 90). 
The apparatus usu- 
ally takes the form of 
that shown in Fig. 25, 
w^hich gives a back 
view of the star. To 
the centre of each 
point is attached a 
metal arm working on 
a spring hinge at the 
base, a n d provided 
with a clip at the op- 
posite extremity to re- 
ceive a card. When 
set ready for use the 
arms, each holding a 
the body of the star, 
secures all the others, 




Fig. 25.— The Fairy Star 



card, are folded back on 

the hindermost one, which 

being kept in position by a metal button (see Fig 



bricks witb Special CarOs anD Bpparatus 97 

25 ). To one end of this movable button is fixed a 
long black thread, which, passing through screw e3^es 
in the pillar and base of the star, leads off to the 
assistant at the wings. Having named the five 
chosen cards (see page 90), the performer tears 
them up into small pieces, placing the fragments in 
a magic pistol which he then fires at the star. As 
the report of the pistol rings out the assistant pulls 
the thread, thus releasing the cards, which forthwith 
fly up into their respective positions. 

Touching the age of the trick, I was recently very 
much amused by a performer who had taken the 
trouble to add an appendage to the star in the shape 
of a flowing tassel of silk, presumably for the pur- 
pose of decoration, but really to form the subject of 
a little repartee. His reply to a question put by a 
not over-courteous auditor was something after this 
style : " Yes, I am quite aware the trick is an old 
one ; this is proved by the fact that it has begun 
to grow whiskers ; but it is none the worse for that, 
it is merely another example of the survival of the 
fittest." 

To Fitc a Selected Card into cither of Two 
Candles Burning; on the Table- — This forms a 
really brilliant trick, and is especially suitable for 
the stage. The properties required are two candle- 
Sticks of the kind in every-day use, each fitted with 



98 Card Zvicks 

a candle equally guileless. In addition to these 
paraphernalia the magician must be provided with 
a small piece of candle (exactl}" similar to that used 
in the "Card, Coin, and Candle" trick, page 42) 
loaded with a card, from which a corner has been 
torn (as in the trick of the " Card and Cigarette," 
page 33) ; also a conjuring pistol. 

To prepare for the trick, place the prepared piece 
of candle in the left-hand trousers pocket : and the 
duplicate card, together with the torn corner, on the 
table ; have also near at hand a small plate and a 
table knife, and you are ready to commence opera- 
tions. 

The loose card is added to the pack in the manner 
described at page 35 and duly forced on some unsus- 
pecting auditor. After dae note has been taken of 
the card, the drawer is requested to tear it up into a 
number of small pieces ; and while this is being 
done the performer returns to the table for his pistol, 
at the same time secretly taking up and palming the 
torn corner. The drawer is now requested to drop 
the mutilated card into the pistol, the mouth of 
which is provided with a piece of paper the better 
to receive the torn fragments; the chief use of the 
paper, however, is to conceal the presence of the cup 
in the mouth of the pistol cone. When the drawer 
of the card has placed the whole of the fragments in 



Xlx\c\{3 vvitb Special CarDs anD Bpparatus 99 

the pistol, the performer, under pretence of proving 
the genuineness of the experiment, returns one por- 
tion (adroitly substituting the palmed piece) as a 
means of enabling the spectators to subsequently 
identify the card._ 

The removal, unobserved, of the cup containing 
ttie card from the cone must next receive attention. 
To do this, place the mouth of the pistol in the left 
hand, and address the audience somewhat as fol- 
lows : — " A card, freely selected (another departure 
from the truth), has been torn to atoms and placed 
in that condition in this neat little pocket pistol. I 
now propose to fire the fragments at either of the 
two candles burning on the table — I leave it to you to 
decide Avhich it shall be — and after the shot to pro- 
duce the card completely restored, with the excep- 
tion of one corner, from the one chosen. Now which 
of the tw^o do you prefer, the right or the left? — the 
left — thank you — it really does not matter as in 
either case you would be right, but still I left it to 
you." Having delivered the above oration, the pis- 
tol is transferred to the right hand, leaving the cup 
behind in the left, to be dropped into the pocket on 
that side under cover of discharging the pistol. 

An amusing little interlude may here be intro- 
duced with very good effect. The performer passes 
for examination a perfectly plain half sheet of note- 



100 CarO C:r(cft5 

paper, and when returned offers to prove to the sat- 
isfaction of all present that the card is actually, at 
the present moment, firmly embedded in the selected 
candle. This he does by holding the paper over the 
flame of the candle for a few moments, and calling 
upon the card to write its name thereon ; on remov- 
ing the paper this is found to have been done. A 
beautiful illustration of a logical fallacy, is it not? 
Well, here is the secret. Some time before the enter- 
tainment the magician writes the name of the card 
on the paper with a sympathetic ink composed of 
one part of sulphuric acid to four or five parts of 
water. Written thus the name, when dry, is quite 
invisible, but the characters are quickly brought out 
in jet black by the application of heat. Another 
mystery solved. 

To conclude the trick the performer cuts up the 
candle into four pieces, from which one is selected 
and finally exchanged for the prepared piece as ex- 
])lained at page 46. Having brought the card to 
light, it now only remains to have its identity proved 
by fitting to it the torn corner left in the j^ossession 
of tlie auditor. 

Card Cricket, — Having once acquired the j^ower of 
forcing several cards, the means by which such cards 
may be afterwards revealed are almost unlimited. 
Here is another novel and interesting method. 



Uricfts witb Special CarDs and Apparatus 101 

In the first place the conjurer must jDrovide him- 
self with a cricket bat, not exactly a model of the one 
used by Grace, the renowned cricketer, but quite a 
primitive affair fashioned from a piece of plain flat 
deal and colored a dead black. 

In addition to the Ijat a few preliminary prepara- 
tions are necessary. Three cards, backed as usual 
to correspond with the cover of the table, are each 
pierced through the centre, from the face side, with 
a stout thumb tack, the point of which is left pro- 
jecting from the back. It will be obvious that cards 
thus prepared maybe readily caused to adhere to 
the bat by the simple expedient of laying it on the 
table with slight pressure immediately over the pins. 

A conjurer once told me, quite seriously, that he 
was in the habit of using molasses in lieu of the pins. 
The trick may be equally effective that way, but 
Avhen it comes to using molasses in connection with 
conjuring apparatus, I for one offer a decided ob- 
jection : I never did like molasses. 

The working of the trick is as follows : The per- 
former first offers the bat for examination. He then 
returns to the stage, leaving the bat against a chair, 
and procures a pack of cards, from which three are 
forced in the usual way. This done, an obliging 
spectator who knows " something about cricket " is 
requested to collect the chosen cards and to thor- 



102 Cntt) tTdcfts 

oughly shuffle them with the rest of the pack. While 
he does this the performer retm'iis to the stage, and 
takes up his position as a batsman, calling upon his 
temporar}'- assistant, at the word " three," to bowl the 
cards straight at the bat. He accordingly commences 
to count, '' One — wait one moment, if you please, sir " 
(lays bat on table with some pressure over the cards), 
" I shall never be able to hit the cards if you hold the 
pack that way" (takes j^ack and opens it fan-wdse) — 
" there, just spread the cards a little to give me a 
chance of finding the selected ones." Saying this, he 
returns to the table for the bat, taking it up so as not 
to prematurely expose the three cards. Then, get- 
ting into position once more, he exclaims, " Now, sir, 
are you ready? Then one, two, three." The cards 
are thrown as directed, and as they come in contact 
with the bat the three chosen ones appear thereon. 
This is effected by the performer turning the bat 
round in the act of striking the cards, the movement 
being entirely lost owing to the motion of the bat. 
The experiment should be timed so that the cards 
appear on the bat at the same moment that it comes 
in contact with the pack, when the trick will be 
found to produce a perfect illusion. 

The Cards and Boards* — This trick is similar in 
many respects to that last described, but I give it 
here for the sake of completeness ; at the same time 



Q;ricli0 witb Special CarOs anO apparatus 103 

the eft'ect is good, and it will be found very useful in 
the case of a desire to vary the programme. 

The performer passes for examination two plain 
deal boards, size about eleven inches by ten inches, 
colored a dead black, which, having successfully 
passed the scrutiny of the onlookers, he lays on the 
table. 

Three cards are next selected by different mem- 
bers of the audience, and, after due note has been 
taken of them, are returned to the pack and shuffled 
with the rest, the whole being given into the safe 
keeping of another spectator. This done, the per- 
former returns to the stage and places the two boards 
together, in which position they are secured by a 
stout cord, tied and sealed by one of the audience. 
At this stage of the proceedings the person with the 
pack is called upon to throw it with some force at 
the boards, which the performer holds up for that 
purpose. This he does, when, on separating the 
boards, the three chosen cards are found nailed be- 
tween them. 

The seeming mystery is thus explained : The three 
selected cards are forced, to correspond with three 
others arranged on the table in a similar manner to 
those in " Card Cricket." These three cards are at- 
tached to one of the boards in the act of laying it on 
the table. The trick is now practically finished ; the 



104 



CarD Zxic\{6 



F^^^^^ 



performer has merely to take care not to expose the 
cards when placing the hoards together, the rest fol- 
lows as a matter of course. 

The Card and Bottle^— The trick of causing a 

chosen card to appear on the top of a winehottle from 

which a quantity of wine has just been poured, has 

been known and worked for 

a number of j^ears, but I 

venture to think that in the 

form here given it will be 

new to the majority of my 

readers. In this case there 

is no mechanism employed ; 

the secret depends upon the 

pull of an invisible thread. 

The arrangements are 

as follows : 

A small hole is 
drilled through the 
side of the bottle 
about three inches from the bottom. Through this 
liole is passed a strong black thread, which is 
then brought out of the mouth of the bottle and 
attached to the card to appear (see Fig. 26), the 
card being dra^ii down and placed out of sight 
underneath the bottle. The bottle is next partly 
filled with wine, or water, which may be done by 




Fig. 26.— The Card and Bottle 



Zxic\\B witb Special CarDs anD Apparatus 105 

closing the hole in the side with a small pellet of 
wax. The loose end of the thread in the hands of 
an assistant at the wings, and all is ready. The 
working of the trick is as follows : 

The operator in the course of the performance 
takes up the bottle — lifting the concealed card at the 
same time — and pours out a glass of the fluid therein 
contained, which he either drinks himself or hands 
to the gentleman assisting him ; this, of course, is 
merely to show that the bottle is an ordinary one, 
and capable of containing fluid. He then replaces 
the bottle on the table and in doing so removes the 
pellet of wax, thus freeing the thread. The surface 
of the fluid remaining in the bottle is now below the 
hole, so there is ho danger of it running out ; what 
remains, however, is very useful, as it serves to 
balance the bottle in the later stages of the trick. 

A card, duplicate of the one under the bottle, is 
forced in the usual way, being afterwards returned 
and shuffled with the rest of the pack. At this 
stage of the trick the performer throws the cards on 
the table, and in doing so moves the bottle slightly, 
thus allowing the concealed card to mingle with the 
rest. He now picks out any card at random, say, 
the knave of clubs, and, laying it over the mouth of 
the bottle declares it to be the one chosen. He is, of 
course, quickly made acquainted with the fact that 



106 CavD Zxic^e 

he is wrong, and in rei)ly says, '' Dear me ! I'm very 
sorry, I rarely ever make a mistake. Then you will 
not have the knave of clubs to rule over you ?" Upon 
receiving a reply in the negative, he continues, ' ' AA^ell, 
in that case, if you will be good enough to tell me the 
name of the one chosen, I will ask the two cards to 
contest the position." The c]ueen of hearts being 
given as the chosen card, the wizard exclaims, 
' ' Queen of hearts, if you have the greater right to 
the position on the throne I call upon you to dis- 
lodge this arrant knave (or, in the case of another 
card, this usurper)." 

At this moment the assistant pulls the thread, 
Avhich causes the knave to fall, a connnotion is seen 
among the cards, and the queen of hearts appears on 
the top of the bottle. 

The Rising Cards. — A time-honored trick and one 
justly worthy of affording another example of "the 
survival of the fittest ;" but much that is new and 
interesting may be written in connection with these 
old-time marvels. 

Three chosen cards returned and thoroughly 
shuffled with the rest are caused to rise from the 
pack, one by one, at the mere word of command. 
In order to prove the absence of motive power of any 
kind the cards are insulated from their surroundings 
by being placed in a glass tumbler, or other recep- 



trrfcfts wltb Special Cards and Xlpparatus 107 

tacle — there are many designs — of a convenient size 
to hold and keep them together in an upriglit 
])osition. 

Fnjni what I have gathered in conversation with 
other conjurers, they eacli and all have their own 
pet method of working the trick, which they " would 
not divulge for worlds and worlds." Perhaps this 
accounts for the fact that one rarely ever sees it 
performed. I am inclined to think, however, that 
the true reason is that it requires a good magician to 
work it successfully. I have known conjurers to 
attemi)t it once and once only, that once was their 
hrst and last time ; and yet it is simple enough. 

There are numerous ways of bringing about the 
result, but from the point of view of an audience they 
are all the same. For the sake of completeness, 
however, I will describe several of the best. 

First Method. — The three cards are, of course, 
forced, and that being understood it only remains to 
explain how their duplicates are caused to rise from 
the glass. The motive power is again a black silk 
tliread leading from the cards to an assistant at thci 
^vings. The arrangement is as shown at Fig. 27. A 
small slit is cut in the end of the first card, the one 
to the left in the figure, into which is inserted one 
end of the thread provided with a knot to keep it in 
position ; it is tlien passed alternately under and 



108 



CarO ^rlcft0 



over the remaining cards. Those cards marked 1, 2, 
and 3 in Fig. 27 are the duplicates, and care must be 
taken to pass the thread under these ; the inter- 
mediate cards simply act as fulcrums over which the 
thread passes. Thus arranged the seven cards are 
laid face upwards behind some object on the table. 

Having forced the required number of cards, the 
performer returns to the table and lays the pack face 
upwards on the prepared cards while he hands the 




Fig. 27. — The Rising Cards. Arrangement of Thread 

tum])ler for examination. AVhen the tumbler is re- 
turned, he takes up the pack, together with the seven 
cards, and places the whole therein (see Fig. 28). It 
is now merely a case of "pull the string and the 
figure moves," but this requires care; it is of tlie 
greatest importance that this be done in conjunction 
with the "patter" of the performer, and to insure 
this, several rehearsals will be necessary. 

To admit of the thread being pulled at the most 



Zxic\{B witb Special Car5s an& Apparatus 109 



convenient angle, it is passed through a screw eye in 
the rear edge of the table (see Fig. 28). 

Secoxd Method. — The trick may be made equally 
effective without the aid of an assistant. In this 
case the loose end of the thread, v.diich is not more 
than two yards in length, is provided with a ])ent 
black pin to enable the performer to attach it to the 
lapel of his coat in the course of the performance. 
This he does with the dis- 
engaged hand w^hile placing 
the cards in the glass. 
The cards are now caused 
to rise by 
the simple 
action of 
taking a 
step back- 
wards ; or 

by emphasizing the command w^ith a graceful move- 
m.ent of the w^and, bringing the same in contact with 
the thread (see Fig. 28). 

Third Method. — This, in my opinion, is the very 
best method of working the trick. 

The effect in this case is as follows : — The per- 
former takes up an ordinary fan, with wdiich he com- 
mences to fan the glass, whereupon a card is seen to 
rise slowdy from the pack ; this, on being removed, 




Fig. 28.— The Rising Cards as placed in tumbler 



no CacD ^rlcfta 

is follo,wed by another, and so on until all have been 
produced. 

The beauty of the trick in this form lies in the 
fact that no assistant is required, neither is the thread 
attached to the performer in any way. The length 
of the thread, and the arrangement of the same on 
the cards, is the same as in the second method, the 
only difference being that the opposite end is at- 
tached to the top of the fan. It will thus be seen 
that from the commencement, the trick is practically 
finished. This being so, the performer should ex- 
perience no anxiety as to its ultimate success ; all he 
has to do is to force the required number of cards, 
and to place the pack in the glass in accordance with 
the instructions already given ; what follows de- 
pends entirely on the skill he may have acquired in 
the manipulation of the fan. 

Fourth Method. — This method differs' somewhat 
from any of the others, being designed with a view 
to handing the cards and glass for inspection prior to 
each production. In addition to this the three cards 
are freely chosen, not forced. These desiderata are 
thus obtained : 

The thread, in this case, is about three feet long, 
and is permanently attached by one end to the left 
lapel of the performer's coat. The opposite end is 
provided with a small pellet of wax, Avhich is kept 



Zvicl^B wttb Special GarDs anD Apparatus 111 

ready to hand by being pressed on the lower button 
of the vest. 

The first card returned, the performer makes the 
' ' pass ' ' to bring it to tlie top. He next executes a 
false shuffle, after which the card is again brought to 
the centre by means of the ' ' pass. " The second 
card is now replaced on the top of the first, and the 
same procedure enacted ; and likewise with the third 
card, the three being finally left on the top of the 
pack. 

The performer now, holding the cards in the left 
hand, gives the glass for examination, and while it 
is out of his hand takes the opportunity of securing 
the pellet of wax from the vest button ; then by sim- 
ply transferring the pack to the right hand he at- 
taches the thread to one end of the top card. Now, 
receiving the tuml)ler in the left hand, he places the 
pack therein, that end to which is attached the 
thread l)eing, of course, at the bottom. 

The cards are caused to rise by slightly extending 
the arm, or by raising the glass in the air, looking at 
it intently the while; or the wand may be again 
employed with good effect. The fulcrum, over 
which the thread passes, is, in this case, formed by 
the edge of the glass. When the card is a little more 
than half-way out of the glass the performer takes it 
in the right hand, again securing the pellet of wax, 



112 CarD XlvicWs 

and immediately hands the glass and cards for in- 
spection. Throwing the loose card aside, he first 
takes back the pack, and in doing so again attaches 
the thread to the top card ; then receiving back the 
tumbler he proceeds to produce the second, and so 
on with the remaining cards. 

Fifth Method. — This is an arrangement of my 
own for working the trick without the aid of dupli- 
cates, and with three cards freely chosen from the 
})ack. 

The secret, in this case, lies in the use of ' ' Longs 
and Shorts" (see page 85); and the thread, which 
is attached to the top of one card only (as in Fig. 
27) will be best manipulated by an assistant. The 
card to which the thread is attached is laid face 
downwards on the table, and all is ready. 

Three cards are first selected from the " long " pack, 
which is then changed for the "short" one, to which 
the three cards are returned and shufiled by their 
respective draw^ers. The three cards are now pro- 
duced by sleight of hand (see page 91), and this 
done the pack is laid on the table, face downwards, 
on the top of the prepared card, while the glass is 
handed for inspection. 

When the glass is- returned the pack is placed 
therein, the prepared card being to the front ; at the 
same time care is taken to allow the thread to lay 



tTdcfts witb Special CarDs anD Bpparatu6 113 

over the top of the pack. The performer now takes 
the three chosen cards and inserts them, one by one, 
in different parts of the pack, the result being that a 
portion of the thread is carried down with each. It 
will now be readily understood that the cards may 
be caused to rise, as in the preceding methods, by 
simply pulling the thread. 

The trick of the " Rising Cards," as we have seen, 
is subject to much variation ; and in addition to this, 
many amusing incidents, of which the following will 
serve as examples, are occasionally introduced. 

One of the selected cards, say the knave of clubs, 
on rising does so with its back to the company, and 
upon being rebuked and thrust down again by the 
performer, reappears in the proper manner. There 
are, of course, two knaves employed in the trick, 
which are arranged to appear in succession, the first 
with its back, and the second with its face to the 
spectators. For obvious reasons the first card must 
be removed, and the performer does this hastily 
while assuming great indignation at such an undig- 
nified appearance ; he, however, at once returns it, 
still with his back to the company, but in the front 
of the pack ; and at the same time commands it to 
appear in a respectable manner. The second knave, 
which is taken for the first reversed, now appears in 
due course. 
8 



114 CacD ^riclfta 

On reappearing in the proper manner the knave 
may be sentenced to dance a jig as a pmiishment for 
his unseemly behaviour. This he does, and finally 
jumps out of the pack. This latter effect is obtained 
])y weighting the lower end of the card, and this is 
l)est done by inserting a strip of lead between the 
layers of pasteboard of which it is composed. Thus 
prepared the card is caused to rise and fall by alter- 
natel}^ tightening and slackening the thread, and 
finally, with a quick jerk to jump clear out of the 
glass. 

To cause a wrong card to rise, and then to change 
it to the one chosen, will also be found productive 
of some wonderment. This is accomplished as 
follows : 

A duplicate of one of the chosen cards, say the 
seven of diamonds, duly arranged on the thread, is 
provided with an additional pip loosely attached by 
means of soap, so as to form an eight of the same 
suit. The spectators readily take the prepared 
card for a genuine eight, and as it rises from 
the glass the performer is quickly apprised of the 
fact that he has made a mistake ! He thereupon 
affects surprise, and exclaims, " Dear me ! not your 
card, madam ? Well, really that's very strange. 
May I ask you to kindly name the one you chose?" 
Upon receiving a reply to the effect that the chosen 



ZTrtclis witb Special CarOs an& apparatus 115 

card was the seven of diamonds, he turns up the one 
m his hand, from which while talking he has secretly 
removed the loose pip, and shows that, by some un- 
accountable means, it is now the one selected. 

It will be gathered from remarks previously made 
that this trick is one that requires a certain amount 
of sangfroid for its successful execution, but with 
ordinary care such mishaps as inadvertently running 
against the thread and thus upsetting the whole of 
the arrangements ; placing the joack in the glass up- 
side down, and thereby causing the wrong cards to 
rise ; the jerking of a card out of the glass (fourth 
method), and causing it to dangle ignominiously in 
mid air ; and others of an equally ludicrous nature, 
will be avoided. I have never once had an accident 
with the trick myself, but have seen all of the above 
happen ; so speak advisedly. 

The Cascade of Cards, — This trick forms an ex- 
cellent sequel to the " Rising Cards," and when 
used in conjunction therewith, produces a most 
l^rilliant effect. I shall, therefore, describe it in the 
form best suited for this purpose. 

Having arrived at the point in the preceding trick 
where the second card has been caused to rise, the 
performer removes the pack and lays it over the 
mouth of the tumbler as shown in Fig. 29. He is, 
of course, at once made acquainted with the fact that 



116 



CarD Zticks 



he has not yet produced the third card, to which he 
replies, " Dear me ! I am really very sorry, I had 
quite forgotten your card, madam. I trust you will 
pardon my negHgence, 
as I fear it is now 
hopelessly lost in the 
pack. However, I will 
make an effort to find 
it. I will call upon 




Fig. 29.— The Cascade of Cards 



the four winds of heaven to concentrate themselves 
within the glass and to blow with great force upon 
the cards, and yours, madam, will in all probability 
become separated from the rest of the pack," Bay- 



tTricfts wltb Special CarDs auD Bpparatus 117 

ing this, he holds his right hand in the air im- 
mediately over, and about three feet above, the cards, 
when at the mere word of command they are seen to 
scatter themselves, with very pretty effect, to the right 
and left of the glass, thus forming the cascade from 
which the trick derives its name. When the chosen 
card is reached, instead of following the course of the 
others, it flies up into the outstretched hand of the 
performer, who forthwith hands it for examination. 
From this point the cascade ceases, a few cards still 
remaining on the top of the tumbler. 

The secret is really an extension of the means em- 
ployed in the ' ' Rising Cards. ' ' The thread is first 
attached to the card to appear in the performer's 
hand (this card should be placed about fourth from 
the front of the pack as it stands in the tumbler), 
from whence it is passed, alternately, under and over 
the whole of the remaining cards ; the two which are 
caused to rise in the ordinary Avay are, of course, 
arranged at the back of the pack as already described. 
The end of the thread is best attached to the last card 
by passhig it through the centre, and afterwards in- 
serting it in a minute sHt, cut in one end. By this 
means it may be pulled clear of the card. 

The working of the trick will now be understood, 
the only point in which it differs from the ' ' Rising 
Cards " being that two packs must of necessity be 



118 CarD bricks 

used. This, however, will present no difficulty, as 
the exchange may be readily made, unobserved, be- 
hind some object on the table. When removing the 
cards from the tumbler, and laying them over the 
mouth of the same, the performer takes care to pass 
the thread between the second and third fingers of 
the hand (see Fig. 29), which he now holds over the 
cards in the manner described. It will thus be seen 
that the fingers form the necessary fulcrum over 
which the thread passes. 

The Dissected Card Box* — This is a very ingenious 
piece of apparatus and one that, seeing it may be 
used to produce, vanish, change, or restore a card, is 
well-nigh indispensable to the amateur conjurer. As 
its name implies, the box is so constructed that it 
may be taken to pieces, each part being given for 
examination immediately before commencing a trick ; 
when returned the parts are reunited and the trick 
proceeds. 

The box is made in two portions, the one being 
identical with the other, so that either may be caused 
to form the lid or bottom of the box according to the 
manner in which it is laid on the table ; the two 
portions are hinged together at one side as shown in 
Fig. 30. The inside dimensions are such that will 
take a playing card comfortably ; and the depth 
when closed is about one inch. The top and bottom 



^rlc?i6 witb Special Cards and Apparatus ] 19 



are movable sheets of brass, or other metal, kept m 
position by a groove on the one side and a spring clip 
on the other (see Fig. .30). In addition to the skeleton 
frame and the movable top and bottom there is a 
fourth part, which constitutes the secret of the appa- 
ratus ; t h i s 
takes the 
form of a 
loose slab of 
the same 
metal as that 
of which the 
top and bot- 
t o m are 
made, fitting 
closely but 
loosely into 
the interior 
of the box, 
and provided 
for the pur- 
pose of con- 
cealing a card. 

To prepare for a trick the performer places a card 
in the box and covers the same with the loose slab. 
This done the box may be sho'wn as empty, but in 
order to disarm suspicion it is taken to pieces in front 




Fig. 30.— The Dissected Box 



120 Car& bricks 

of the spectators. This is the specialty of the appa- 
ratus, and is best done as follows : The loose slab 
and one of the movable portions, with the card be- 
tween them, are first removed and laid (for con- 
venience in picking up again) on the bottom of an 
inverted tumbler. The other portion is next removed 
and dropped, apparently by accident, on the table. 
This gives the impression that both it and its com- 
panion piece are unprepared. The skeleton frame is 
now handed for examination, and when all are satis- 
fied that there is no trickery about it, the top and 
bottom are replaced. If this be done with care no 
one should doubt for a moment that the box is other 
than empty. 

As before stated, the uses of the apparatus are 
various ; here are a few examples : 

(a) For a magical production the card is placed 
face downward in the box and covered with the loose 
slab. Having satisfied every one that there is nothing 
concealed, the performer closes the box, and in doing 
so turns it over ; the slab falls into the opposite jDor- 
tion and along with it the card, which now appears 
face upward. 

(b) To change one card for another the box is 
prepared as in ' ' a. " The card to be changed is in 
due course placed in the box, from which time the 
procedure is the same as when producing a card. 



^dcl^s vvltb Special CarDs an& Apparatus 121 

(c) The restoration of a burnt card from its ashes 
is simply the ' ' change ' ' in another form, and the 
box is prepared accordingly. 

(d) When requiring to vanish a card the same is 
placed in the box on the top of the movable slab. 
The box is now closed smartly in such a manner that 
the card and slab fall into the opposite side, when, 
on raising the now uppermost portion, the card will 
seem to have disappeared. In this case the illusion 
Avill be rendered the more complete by afterwards 
dissecting the box. 

With the aid of two of these boxes two drawn 
cards may be caused to change places at command. 
The boxes are first prepared by concealing a card 
beneath the loose flap, say the eight of diamonds in 
one and the queen of clubs in the other. 

Two similar cards are now ' ' forced ' ' on members 
of the audience and afterwards placed one in each 
box; the eight of diamonds in that containing the 
queen of clubs, and vice versa. It noAV only remains 
to close the boxes in such a manner that the concealed 
card is brought uppermost in each case, when the 
two Avill appear to have changed places. 

I do not recommend the use of the two boxes, as 
such a parade of apparatus savors too much of the 
school-boy form of magic for my liking. A single 
box artistically used in connection with sleight of 



122 CarO ITricfis 

hand, however, will be found to afford pleasing 
variety. 

Here is a modest little experiment of my own, 
which, if not of much importance in itself, will at 
least serve as an example for the arrangement of 
others. The trick consists of causing two cards, one 
placed in the box and the other in a borrowed hat, to 
change places at command. A changing card of the 
kind shown at " C " in Fig. 24 will also be required. 

The box is prepared by concealing a three of dia- 
monds under the loose flap. The trick card is laid 
on the top of the pack, on this is placed the ordi- 
nary three of diamonds, and on the top of all the 
ace of the same suit. Having satisfied the specta- 
tors that the box is empty, the performer takes up 
the cards, and making the ' ' pass,' ' forces the ace and 
the three of diamonds, and this done, again makes 
the pass to bring the trick card to the top. Laying 
the pack aside for a moment, he takes up the box and 
requests the person with the ace to place it therein ; 
he does so, the box is closed so as to bring the three 
of diamonds uppermost and placed on the table. 
Again taking up the pack, the operator receives back 
the drawn three of diamonds, and while passing over 
to deposit it in the hat, changes it for the top card. 
Having shown the trick card as a three he lowers it 
into the hat. 



^richs witb Special Cards anO :apparatus 123 

To conclude the trick, the performer has merely to 
command the two cards to change places. Then 
opening the box, he shows the three in place of the 
ace ; and on removing the card from the hat, holding 
it as required, it is seen to have likewise changed. 

There are many forhis of the ' ' Card Box, ' ' the 
simplest being made in wood (solid) throughout, 
with a loose flap to match ; but the one I have de- 
scribed is the most ingenious that has ever come 
under my notice. 



CHAPTER V 

CONCLUSION 

A FEW words of encouragement and guidance for 
those about to take up magic as a pastime or profit- 
able hobby may be read with interest. 

Progress must be made slowly. Perfection in any 
art is the result of regular, but steady, practice. The 
work of the skilled magician is no exception, and is 
the outcome of intelligent invention, profound devo- 
tion to his profession, and patient, never-wearying 
practice. A thorough theoretical knowledge of the 
manner in which an object is caused to disappear, 
will by no means suffice to produce the illusion, 
neither will it enable a person to detect the secret of 
other tricks ; he will be deceived over and over again 
by the same means. The reason for this is that in 
addition to a knowledge of the mechanical working, 
and even practice therewith, certain soul faculties are 
required, the ingenious use of which is vastly more 
important than either mechanism or dexterity ; with- 
out such faculties a performer will meet with but 
mediocre success. The tyro, therefore, who would 
124 



Conclusion 125 

become a clever performer must study the art from a 
psychological aspect. 

The apparent placmg of a card, or other small 
object, in the left hand, which is afterwards opened 
and shown empty, is not sufficient — no matter how 
dexterous the ' ' palm ' ' — to produce a perfect illu- 
sion; unless some additional faculty be brought into 
play, the moment the hand is opened the onlookers 
will come to the conclusion, if they have not already 
done so," that it never really contained anything. 
The main secret lies in the power to so direct the 
thoughts of the spectators by actions and words that 
they are led, unconsciously as it were, to believe that 
the object was actually placed in the position indi- 
cated ; this constitutes the art of misdirection, by far 
the most potent weapon of the modern magician. 
To successfully accomplish all this the conjurer must 
inspire confidence, be possessed of an imposing 
address, and able to surround himself Avith a magical 
atmosphere in which the spectators believe the most 
incredible things possible, and take the most simple 
as marvelous. He must, of course, himself believe 
tliat whicli he would have others believe. For in- 
stance, if he wishes to convey the idea that an object 
is in the left hand, it really being palmed in the 
right, he must himself believe that it is there. I am, 
however, from experience, fully cognizant of the fact 



126 Cat^ tirfclfts 

that a beginner will find considerable difficulty in 
doing this, owing to his attention being almost 
forcibly drawn in the opposite direction in his en- 
deavors to retain the ''palm," and an overdrawn 
anxiety as to whether it will be discovered ; but as 
only he who is convinced can convince, the soi-disant 
magician must rid himself of this trouble at the 
earliest opportunity. In addition to this he will 
have to acquire the knack of following, simultan- 
eously, two or more different ideas, i. e. , to execute 
certain sleights with his hands independently of 
sight, while addressing the audience on a subject 
quite apart from the manipulation ; the necessity for 
this will be obvious. It will also be v/ell, at times, 
to w^atch the expressions of certain auditors as a safe- 
guard against impending dangers. 

The expert takes due advantage of the human 
craze for imitation. An example or two will make 
all clear. Walk down the street, stop suddenly and 
gaze up a narrow courtway on the opposite side. 
Before many seconds have elapsed you will be joined 
by several persons all looking in the same direction. 
Then another and another will become interested 
until a small crowd congregates, all looking for 
something the nature of which they are totally 
ignorant. Leave this crowd, and, walking on a 
hundred j^ards, stop again and rub your hand on the 



Conclusion 127 

wall, looking intently at the spot the while. Then 
with a final rub, as if very unsatisfied with your ex- 
amination, pass on a few paces. If you now turn 
round and take another look at the wall you will be 
very much amused to see several persons rubbing 
vigorously, and making a minute examination of the 
same spot. The reader will, doubtless, on more 
occasions than one, have had his attention drawn to 
the top of a house, or elsewhere, by a person looking 
in the same direction, and, not seeing anything of a 
startling nature, have passed on and forgotten all 
about the circumstance. Such cases are the result of 
an irresistible desire on the part of man to imitate his 
fellows. The magician, then, knows very well that" 
if he wishes to draw the attention of the public in a 
certain direction he has merely to look pensively in 
that direction himself, indicating, for example, an 
imaginary red spot on the ceiling, caused, as he says, 
" by the ace of hearts having vanished that way ;" 
and it is a funny sight, while thus engaged, to see 
the way his hands perform the ' ' pass, ' ' count off a 
number of cards, or execute other manipulations as 
the nature of the trick may demand ; or, having re- 
ceived back a chosen card, he may simply address 
the drawer something after this style, ' ' Thank 
you, sir ; you are quite sure you will recognize 
your card again?" This di'aws all eyes in the 



128 GarD ^nc!?0 

direction of his face, and he makes the ' ' pass " 
with impunity. 

The conjm^er also does his best to lead the public 
to believe that he performs all his Avonders by skill 
and rapidity, and in this he seems generally success- 
ful ; evidence of this lies in the time-worn expression, 
" Yes, it was really wonderful, but then, of course, 
the quickness of the hand deceives the eye, ' ' w^hich 
ever and anon falls from the lips of the uninitiated 
after witnessing a performance of sleight of hand. 
In reality, however, the effects, as we have seen in 
the course of the present work, are obtained by to- 
tally different means, the performer being able for 
the most part to take Avhat time he pleases in the 
execution of the various tricks. Apart from quick- 
ness, then, the magician must study to work grace- 
fully and with great coolness. Rapidity of action is 
very often the cause of disastrous results, whereas 
the cool, collected performer rarely ever meets with 
a mishap. The caution for less haste has another 
significance. We will suppose the queen of hearts 
is to be transformed into the eight of spades by the 
' ' change. ' ' If owing to excitement, the sleight may 
be performed before due attention has been drawn to 
the card to be changed, the illusion is of course lost. 
Again, take the case of the card vanishing in the air. 
It would be rather depressing for the performer, after 



Conclusion 129 

having successfully vanished the card, to overhear 
the remark, " Yes, it's very good, but I'm not quite 
sure that he had the card in his hand. ' ' 

The charm of the art does not lie in the ability to 
deceive the spectator with ape-like rapidity, but 
rather in the capability to impress him with the 
idea that he dwells for a time in a real palace of 
wonders. This latter achievement, from an aesthetic 
point of view, is much higher than the first, and 
claims the attention of persons from the best circles 
of society, causing them to take to conjuring readily, 
not merely with the idea of amusing others, but 
rather as a means of combining recreation wifh 
study. 

Ladies learn, and not infrequently become accom- 
pHshed performers. It would have been surprising 
were it not so. It is only natural for them to admire 
what is somewhat beyond their comprehension ; and 
there is a strange fascination for all in an art so 
varied, so mysterious, so old, yet always so new, 
as conjuring. 



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